Before and After (1996)

I love this movie so much

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

In this film, a typical middle-class couple tries to cover up what they think is a homicide, after their son runs away without saying anything. Actors' work is consistent, but characters are so clichéd and annoying that it's hard to like them. Meryl Streep plays the good and naive mother, always in the shadow of her husband in a relationship that seems sexist and artificial. She is the portrait of the obedient housewife who does what the husband wants. I understand that the film is from the nineties, but even then there were other ideas about the role of women in the family. Liam Neeson is an impulsive and even violent father, whom its almost impossible to like, even though he shows that he likes his son and tries to protect him. Finally, Edward Furlong plays the teenager in revolt at who bad things happen, the idiot who dated a promiscuous girl who slept with anyone who appeared without pants in front of her. Ah, I almost forgot Alfred Molina, who played a lawyer who would be better off selling vacuum cleaners than in a courtroom. In short, it's a deep and engaging melodrama, but it makes the mistake of being totally predictable, like a TV movie.

A well-off family suffers a crisis when their teenaged son is accused of killing a girl he was dating. The plot develops as expected, with the police suspicions wearing away at the parents' denial, especially the father's. I found the film's dialogue annoying, the characters unlikable, and I was totally surprised that Streep and Neeson would appear in it.Not recommended unless there's nothing else to watch or you don't mind watching a film while in a state of continual annoyance.

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.

If you've read to this point in the reviews then I suppose you will not be distressed by spoilers, but be on the alert. I discuss the ending. Spoilers coming.This movie is about a family in crisis and I found it quite involving overall. It also raises ponder-worthy questions about personal and legal ethics. I was afraid it would end in typical Hollywood style with the kid getting off scotfree. But telling the truth doesn't give him a pass; he must suffer the consequences of his actions. Of course the aggressive gotta-win attorney thinks his clients have acted in their own worst interests. But have they? Father and son do some prison time and then, the film suggests, the family heals and each member of it can move forward with a clear conscience. I agree with some of the complaints aired here by others but not all. I thought the production values were fine. It's a cold movie, a twilight and night movie, and the murky snow-filled landscapes and shadowy interiors seemed perfect. I don't see how anyone can complain about Meryl Streep's performance, which is understated and nuanced. Neeson's character is fierce; it's gotta be played fiercely and Neeson comports himself well. The son and daughter were not as effective; these young actors lack vocal power and fail to put across any subtext.