Before and After (1996)

Two parents deal with the effects when their son is accused of murdering his girlfriend.

Director:

Barbet Schroeder

Writers:

Rosellen Brown (book), Ted Tally (screenplay)

Stars:

Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson, Edward Furlong

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Meryl Streep	...	Carolyn Ryan
Liam Neeson	...	Ben Ryan
Edward Furlong	...	Jacob Ryan
Julia Weldon	...	Judith Ryan
Alfred Molina	...	Panos Demeris
Daniel von Bargen	...	Fran Conklin
John Heard	...	Wendell Bye
Ann Magnuson	...	Terry Taverner
Alison Folland	...	Martha Taverner
Kaiulani Lee	...	Marian Raynor, Prosecutor
Larry Pine	...	Dr. Tom McAnally
Ellen Lancaster	...	Panos' Assistant
Wesley Addy	...	Judge Grady
Oliver Graney	...	T.J
Bernadette Quigley	...	T.J.'s Mom

Storyline

When teenage son Jacob is being accused of murdering his girlfriend, the well-respected and close-knit Ryan family is in turmoil. Jacob flees, father Ben destroys possible evidence, the village community turns hostile and mother Carolyn is forced to temporarily close her doctor's practice. Then Jacob gets arrested and soon finds himself and his family entangled in a web of truth, trust and lies, all on his way to court.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel | suspect | lie | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | murder investigation | 

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Taglines:

A murder. A suspect. A shadow of a doubt.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some disturbing images of violence, brief strong language and some sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 February 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Antes y después

Filming Locations:

Bergen County Court House - 10 Main Street, Hackensack, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,023,815, 25 February 1996, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$8,797,839

Company Credits

Production Co:

Caravan Pictures, Hollywood Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene where Meryl Streep enters a court room to appear in front of the grand jury in the front row (in the middle of the frame) sits a young Paul Giamatti as an extra his head turned around to have a look at her.

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Goofs

During the initial lawyer conference, the sandwich, the napkin, and the sandwich wrapper in front of the lawyer change relative position and the wrapper changes shape, several times, without the lawyer touching them. Or hearing the sound of the wrapper being moved/reshaped.

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Quotes

[Jude visits her and Jake's tree house]
Judith Ryan: Jake? I know you don't wanna talk, but I just need to see you. Can I come up? Please?
[No response. Jude turns away, dejected. Then, the ladder falls down. Jude climbs up]
Judith Ryan: Can I just ask you one question?
[Jake says nothing]
Judith Ryan: Did you ever really go anywhere, Jake?
[Jake still says nothing]
Judith Ryan: Okay. That's cool. I understand. But, just so you know, when you were in that jail, I tried to come. They wouldn't let me. Jake, I really wanted to see you. They act like ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Before and After/Rumble in the Bronx/Mary Reilly/Unforgettable/Mr. Wrong (1996)

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Soundtracks

Crawling
Written by Dave McClain and Phil Rind
Performed by Sacred Reich
courtesy of Hollywood Records

User Reviews

Great Film!! Read the book!!!

I saw this movie for one reason, and one reason only-Edward Furlong. But when I rented this movie (or rather my parents, for my birthday)I didn't expect the movie to be so great. I was watching, and I thought, wow, this would make a great book. After the 2nd time I watched it, i noticed that it was a book, and it was twice as good as the movie.

The movie is about a teen(Edward Furlong) who runs away after "murdering" his girlfriend. His parents are doctor (Meryl Streep) and artist (Liam Neeson. After their son is reported missing, they spend at least 1/2 of the movie waiting for him and bearing nasty and sometimes brutal words from the rest of the townspeople. When he gets back, we hear what really happens, and from then on, the movie sort of sags, and eventually dies. The cast was great, though, and the script was so close to the book, which made me pretty happy to see.

If you are into crime drama, this is a definite 10!!! A must see. (Plus Edward Furlong is EXTREMELY hot)