Before and After (1996)

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.

I read half of the reviews and boy, is there a difference of opinion. Some people feel the actors and plot suck, others are impressed with both.Put me in the latter category. Julia Weldon as the daughter who is wise beyond her years (hard to believe she's now in her 40s) is both appealing and convincing. As for Furlong, he was as tense and intense as the part demanded. One critic griped about him being so short compared to Neeson. Remember Michael Gross and Michael J. Fox? Those were really mixed genes.I could not put down Streep, one of today's strongest actresses. I felt she was as good as usual - meaning better than most; I always enjoy Neeson and am usually convinced that he is who he says he is.Some folks complained about plot holes. There were some loose ends, but they didn't bother me. That is the way this particular scenario played out.All in all, it kept me engrossed and, yes, I would recommend it - both 'Before' and 'After.'

Bits and pieces of this film by director Barbet Schroeder Before and After are all I had seen before I watched the film from start to finish tonight, maybe because it never seemed like something that was very much worthy to stick to for long on TV. Now after, it's never quite as successful as it aspires to almost in spite of what the cast is up to deliver. But what makes the film fall apart even when it reaches for grounded, dark family drama, is that there is an inherent 'message' being pushed with the material, and there is more potential for the dynamics of these characters than is mined. In fact, this could have been a very good film, bordering on excellent, if all the expectations that could come with a 'movie' version of such a realistic story had been subverted. As it is, Liam Neeson, Meryl Streep, and Edward Furlong do what they can with characters that border between two and two and a half dimensional characters (if that makes sense). They're all extremely competent and put power where it's needed in scenes. But the whole lot of it almost seems to a kind of 'meh' point, like an episode of Law and Order that goes more for the upper-middle class decay than the interest in the case itself of the murder committed by the teenage Furlong. No one is necessarily a 'bad' character, which ironically places some of what ends up occurring on screen after the first hour being bland and predictable. There are maybe two or three really well-done scenes in the whole film (i.e. when Neeson and Streep first visit Furlong in jail, with an impeccable silence from the child to the emotional parents), floating amid what could just as well be a TV movie trumped for Hollywood. It's also sad to report that a supporting actor like Alfred Molina is almost misused, which rarely every happens with his character-actor parts; compared to his best roles in other indie and blockbuster films the quality of 'ah, Molina's in this' lasts for maybe three minutes. Worth watching maybe once, though if you don't stick through it to the end it's not the end of the world- probably one of Shroeder's lesser films.

****Spoilers**** Sitting at the dinner table with his parents and little sister Jacob,Edward Furlong, finally opens up and tells the story of what happened between him and Martha Traverner, Alison Folland, since Martha was found dead in the snow outside of town. Jacob was on the run as a fugitive from justice for the a week until he was found and arrested at a friends house. Last seen with Martha as he picked her up where she worked at Jacey's Ice Cream Parlor in town Jacob was the prime suspect in her death. Now after being apprehended and let out on bail he had to get what happened to Martha off his chest and the story wasn't a pretty one, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been either. Jacob did indeed kill Martha but it was a tragic accident. Gripping story about a father and mothers love for their troubled son and how they went about to save him from being put behind bars for killing his girlfriend and how it destroyed their lives as well as, of course, the lives of the parents of the girl who was killed. Jacob's mother Carolyn Ryan, Meryl Streep, wanted only the truth about her son actions in regard to Martha's death to come out in court and felt that it would exonerate him. His father Ben Ryan, Liam Neeson, on he other hand wanted to do everything possible and even went as far as destroying evidence in order to protect him. Jacob in the end sided with his mother and wrote out a full confession which his father could not bring himself to sign. Jacob was 16 years old and needed his parents signature to make the confession legal, and in effect threw himself on the mercy of the court. Jacob didn't bother to defend his actions which his father and lawyer Penos Demeris, Alfred Molina, begged him to do. "Before and After" is a story that has no happy ending no matter how you look at it, for both the victim and the accused. Its realism makes the film more effective and believable then most movies about courtroom dramas which usually have cop-out and feel-good or surprise endings. The story is told in retrospect from Jacob's little sisters Judith's, Julia Weldon, point of view. You already see from the start of the movie that things were never the same for Julia and her family when the film started. Meryl Streep as the mother is both protective and at the same time confident of the court and jury that her son Jacob was to face in his trial. Liam Neeson as the father was just the opposite not trusting the jury to acquit his son no matter how strong the evidence was in Jacob's favor that Martha's death was an accident. Jacob went with his mothers feeling in telling the truth and leaving it up to the judge instead of going to trail. In the end Jacob and his family were left to see if he was right or wrong in that decision. Strong performances all around with a really powerful scene in the movie towards the end when Carolyn is confronted by Martha's mother Terry, Ann Magnuson, at the hospital where Carolyn works as a doctor. No matter how much Carolyn tries to tell Terry how sorry she is about what happened to her daughter Terry is totally unmoved to the point where Carolyn is overcome with tears. You couldn't blame Terry for feeling like she did, her daughter was dead and Carolyn's son, no matter what the outcome of the court will be, is alive. Those in the movie acted as if they really believed in what the story was trying to tell us: That a parent burying their child is the worse kind of tragedy imaginable, no matter what the circumstances of their child's death was. The film also brought out that those who have a son or daughter who was responsible for that death will have to, as well as their son or daughter, carry that guilt with them for the rest of their lives as well.