Before and After (1996)

Sick Product of a Sick System

Captivating movie !

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

I recently saw this movie again after first seeing it in the movies when it first came out.The premise of the story was good - what would you do if you suspected a family member of creating a terrible crime. Would you try and cover it up or would you turn the person in and tell the truth. These are some of the questions Liam Neeson and Meryl Streep as the parents have to contend with. I enjoy both of their acting and felt that Liam Neeson as the father was more realistic, while I felt that Meryl Streep seemed a little wishy washy. I didn't care for the son, played by Edward Furlong at all. I thought he was too blah and mopey and I didn't have much sympathy for him at all. There were also good performances by Alfred Molina as the defense attorney and Julia Wheldon, who played Liam and Meryl's daughter. The movie moved along well and I felt that the ending was satisfactory. I was glad that the movie showed that people must take responsibility for their actions. All in all a good movie.

I first watched this film several years ago on cable, and then watched it again tonight. I walked away from it this time being even more impressed -- overall -- with it as a drama, and with the much of the acting. And that's saying a lot because I very much dislike Liam Neeson, and usually ignore films in which he stars.The story itself is rather depressing because it tells of the virtual disintegration of a family as a teenaged son is accused of murdering his girlfriend. The mother (Meryl Streep) is probably the parent acting most responsibly, although she cannot conceive that her son might actually murder someone (the "That's just not him" scenario that is all too common among modern parents -- and I say that as a long time teacher and school principal). The father is taking more the attitude that he's guilty, but we'll protect him no matter what -- literally destroying crucial evidence.Streep and Neeson are superb here (although that doesn't mean you'll like or respect Neeson's character). We've come to expect perfection from every Streep role, and here she does not disappoint. Julia Weldon, as the young teen daughter, is also excellent; very believable.As good as those performances are, there are two disappointments. Edward Furlong, as the son, well...as his later career has demonstrated, just doesn't have it to be a successful actor. His only real talent in this film seemed to be his ability to look mournful. He was almost painful to watch. And Alfred Molina...I've seen some performances of his that have been quite good...but not this one. I feel he totally misplayed the role of defense attorney.I thought the movie was quite good, and the acting both good and poor, depending on the actor. But, twice is enough.

It's amazing to read the reviews on these pages, how everyone has an opinion about films and especially a film that tries to be as close to real life as possible. Some find it a relevant character study, others are hung up on the plot holes. To be more precise, a gaping plot hole as the mystery of this plot is finally unfolded.To get in my point, this is a movie. It's not the best movie ever made, to me it doesn't really represent reality and there are plot holes, but I simply don't care. I am more interested if a movie can involve me or even change me in some way. Sad to say, this does not fall under that category.I am a great fan of both Liam Neeson and Meryl Streep. I will go as far as to say that Meryl Streep can play just about everything. But in playing a part that you perhaps invest a little too much of yourself in, you fall victim to either trying too hard not to show that you're acting or trying to overact. For this film, I wish the actors were a little more willing to overact. That would have made this a lot more enjoyable. Everything, from the characters reactions to the machinations of the plot seem overly calculated. There is not a big moment of release, as is normally usual in these types of film. Liam Neeson seems at first to be a buffoon in what he does to protect his son, but then we get reasoning, that what he did, is exactly what you should do in cases like these. A little too much of a coincidence, don't you think? As for Edward Furlong, he looks so tiny. It is actually brilliant casting because never in a million years, would you consider him a threat to anything. Liam Neeson looks like he could squash him with his thumb. Meryl Streep could probably kill him with one slap.There should not be made some significance about a movie like this. Don't dare call it reality. It is at least a distorted reality. Character study? They do a better job on something like any drama series you can think of.

From the beginning I had my doubts about this film. During the opening scene, I braced myself for an onslaught of Sundance clichés, but as the film progressed, I was pleasantly surprised. Before and After is a gem of a character study with believable performances by Meryl Streep and Edward Furlong. Liam Neeson's performance as a father with a reserved psychotic sense of protection toward his son is one of the film's highlights. There were some weak spots in the dialogue, but otherwise the script was well-written and engaging.Be prepared to be sucked into this movie; it's slow-paced, but the subtle suspense will make it nearly impossible to stop watching. Just when you think the film has told its story and can't develop any further, you discover that you've seen the beginning of Act II instead of the film's climax.