Before and After (1996)

Director:

Barbet Schroeder

Writers (WGA):

Rosellen Brown (book)
Ted Tally (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 February 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Pajamas | Tense | Teen Angst | Family Crisis

Cast

Meryl Streep	...	Dr. 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
Pamela Blair	...	Dr. Ryan's Assistant
John Wylie	...	Dr. Trygve Hanson
John Deyle	...	Doctor #1
Timothy Patrick Cavanaugh	...	Young Policeman (as Tim Cavanaugh)
John Webber	...	Hardware Clerk
Jay Potter	...	TV Reporter
Sharon Ullrick	...	Female Bailiff
Robert Westenberg	...	Journalist #1
Susan Pratt	...	Journalist #2
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nino Del Padre	...	Court Defendant (uncredited)
Paul Giamatti	...	Courtroom Audience (uncredited)
Jordan Lund	...	Bailiff (uncredited)
Erin Liz Peck	...	Protester (uncredited)
Kevin Craig West	...	Photo journalist (uncredited)

Directed by
Barbet Schroeder

Writing credits (WGA)
Rosellen Brown		(book)
Ted Tally		(screenplay)

Produced by
Roger Birnbaum	....	executive producer
Chris Brigham	....	co-producer
Jonathan Glickman	....	associate producer
Susan Hoffman	....	producer
Joe Roth	....	executive producer
Barbet Schroeder	....	producer

Original Music by
Howard Shore

Cinematography by
Luciano Tovoli

Film Editing by
Lee Percy

Casting by
Howard Feuer

Production Design by
Stuart Wurtzel

Art Direction by
Steve Saklad

Set Decoration by
Gretchen Rau

Costume Design by
Ann Roth

Makeup Department
Jean Ann Black	....	makeup artist
Lori Guidroz	....	hair stylist
Craig Lyman	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Chris Brigham	....	unit production manager
Denise Pinckley	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Henry Bronchtein	....	first assistant director
Michael DeCasper	....	second assistant director
Amy Lauritsen	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Joseph Alfieri	....	carpenter foreman
Jonathan Arkin	....	assistant art director
Ray Fisher	....	set dresser
John R. Ford	....	assistant property master
Charles Guanci Jr.	....	assistant property master
Denise Gurkas	....	camera scenic artist
Paul D. Kelly	....	assistant art director
Jessica Lanier	....	assistant set decorator
Eugene Pope	....	carpenter
Raymond M. Samitz	....	construction coordinator
Theodore Suchecki	....	construction foreman
Dave Weinman	....	lead man

Sound Department
Tim J. Carroll	....	consultant: Dolby Digital
Kevin Cerchiai	....	boom operator: Florida
Benjamin Cheah	....	assistant sound editor
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley artist
Julia Gardner-Patsos	....	utility boom
Tom Nelson	....	sound mixer
Nicholas Renbeck	....	first assistant sound editor
Fred Rosenberg	....	dialogue editor
Stuart Stanley	....	foley editor

Special Effects by
William 'Billy Jack' Jakielaszek	....	special effects technician
John D. Milinac	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Robert Chapin	....	visual effects
Craig A. Mumma	....	digital effects producer: Robert Greenberg & Associates
Janek Sirrs	....	visual effects

Stunts
G.A. Aguilar	....	stunts (as George Aguilar)
Richard L. Blackwell	....	stunt coordinator (as Richard Blackwell)
Doug Coleman	....	stunt coordinator
Blaise Corrigan	....	stunts
Ned Corrigan	....	stunts
Douglas Crosby	....	stunts (as Doug Crosby)
Danny Downey	....	stunts
Roy Farfel	....	stunts
David M. Graves	....	stunts (as David Graves)
Donald John Hewitt	....	stunts
Bob Marrocco	....	stunts
Jim Vickers	....	stunts
Deborah Watkins	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Jonathan Askew	....	rigging grip
David E. Baron	....	second assistant camera
Garrett Brown	....	steadicam operator
Petr Hlinomaz	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Joel Holland	....	video assist operator
Jerry Holway	....	steadicam operator
John R. Kaplan	....	grip
David Knox	....	steadicam operator
Michael 'Flash' McDonald	....	electrician
Tom Prate	....	key grip
Herb Silverman	....	electrician

Casting Department
Matt Bouldry	....	location casting assistant: Boston
Carolyn Pickman	....	location casting
Meredith Tucker	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sue Gandy	....	associate costume designer

Editorial Department
Marty Levenstein	....	second editor
Tom San Martin	....	negative matcher
Arnold Shuster	....	negative matcher
Patricia Sztaba	....	negative matcher
Stan Sztaba	....	negative matcher
Todd Zongker	....	assistant editor: lightworks

Music Department
Jeff Atmajian	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
Michael Avallon	....	driver

Other crew
Josue Aguilar	....	set production assistant: Miami
Laura Berning	....	location assistant
Robert Dawson	....	title designer
Ned Dowd	....	head of production: Caravan Pictures
Eric Fisher	....	production assistant
Alan Grazioso	....	production assistant: Massachusetts
Scott Hornbacher	....	location manager
Elayne Keratsis	....	production coordinator: Florida
Diana E. Latham	....	assistant production coordinator
Lori A. Lopes	....	construction accountant
Etienne Martine	....	production assistant
Steve McCullaugh	....	animal wrangler
Tim Monich	....	dialect coach
Macall B. Polay	....	payroll accountant
Cornelia 'Nini' Rogan	....	script supervisor
Kelly Safrit-Jones	....	assistant to cast
Sherrill Smith	....	assistant location manager
Bruce Winant	....	looping group
Mark Schane-Lydon	....	projectionist (uncredited)
Bill Timoney	....	adr voice group (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Caravan Pictures
• Hollywood Pictures

Distributors

• Buena Vista Pictures
• Filmes Lusomundo (Portugal)
• Gativideo (Argentina) (video)
• Laurenfilm (Spain)

Special Effects

• Computer Film Company, The (CFC) (bluescreen compositing)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 (w) | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #34185) | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Caravan Pictures

Goofs:

Continuity: 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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Stuck on You (2003)

A Moderately interesting character study of a family in crisis.

"Before and After" has a fine premise - the girlfriend of their 16-yr-old son is found apparently murdered in the snow and the parents struggle with what to do. Eventually, when the son goes A.W.O.L., they suspect he commited a murder, and the whole family struggles with what to do. The father finds bloody items in the trunk of the car and is able to dispose of them before the sheriff returns with a search warrant. Eventually the son shows up, the father and mother disagree on what to do, the younger sister gets upset.

"Before and After" also has some of the finest actors of our day - Liam Neeson as the father, Meryl Streep as the mother, Daniel Von Bargen as the sheriff.

But, somehow the movie only works moderately well. Some of the dialog is a bit dubious, some of the scenes are over-dramatic. I suppose it is a function of so-so writing and directing.

Still, it is a film that kept my interest very well. The story got me to thinking what I would have done if any of my teenage children had gotten into a similar bind. With a great writer and director this could have been a "10" movie. I rate it 7 of 10.