Before and After (film)
| Before and After | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Barbet Schroeder |
| Produced by | Barbet Schroeder Susan Hoffman |
| Screenplay by | Ted Tally |
| Based on |
Before and After by Rosellen Brown |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Julia Weldon |
| Music by | Howard Shore |
| Cinematography | Luciano Tovoli |
| Edited by | Lee Percy |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $35 million |
| Box office | $8,797,839 |
| Before and After | ||||
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| Soundtrack album by Howard Shore | ||||
| Released | February 23, 1996 | |||
| Length | 41:10 | |||
| Label | Hollywood | |||
| Howard Shore chronology | ||||
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Before and After is a 1996 American crime drama-mystery film based on the 1992 novel of the same title by American writer Rosellen Brown. The movie was directed by Barbet Schroeder and starred Meryl Streep as Dr. Carolyn Ryan, Liam Neeson as Ben Ryan, Edward Furlong as Jacob Ryan, and Julia Weldon as Judith Ryan (who also narrated the movie).
In a small western Massachusetts town, Dr. Carolyn Ryan and her sculptor husband Ben live with their two children Jacob and Judith. Their world is shattered when Sheriff Fran Conklin tells them that Martha Taverner has been killed and witnesses saw Jacob with her just before she died. When he asks to speak with Jacob, the family realizes that he's not in his room as they thought. Conklin asks to look at Jacob's car, but Ben refuses. When Conklin asks Judith where Jacob is, Ben demands the sheriff get a warrant.
When Conklin leaves, Ben inspects Jacob's car, finding clothes and a car jack with blood on them. He burns the clothes and cleans the jack before the police return. When he tells Carolyn what he has done, she is afraid that Ben may have destroyed evidence that could help them find Jacob, as she is fearful that a maniac may have killed both Martha and her son. The Ryans plaster the town with signs trying to find Jacob, but the town ostracizes them, assuming Jacob is a murderer.
Postcards start to arrive from Jacob. Over the course of five weeks, he sends postcards from all over the country. Carolyn is convinced that he's been kidnapped and wants to alert the police. Ben remains wary of disclosing anything, insisting they must keep the postcards a secret. Eventually Jacob is caught and brought back home to stand trial. For the first several days, he is catatonic, only speaking aloud to enter his plea at the arraignment.
He speaks to Judith in their treehouse when she asks him if he really traveled all over the country. He explained that he would take the train to the Boston airport once a week and press the postcards on people who were headed to the cities on the cards. He would explain that he had just returned from a vacation there but forgotten to mail the postcards to his parents, and he did not want them to think he'd forgotten them. The travelers would mail the cards for him when they arrived at their destination.
The family receives a harassing phone call from one of the townspeople. Ben playfully toys with the caller, but offers an impassioned defense of his son. Touched by his father's sincerity, Jacob opens up and explains what happened.
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