Before and After

Meryl Streep and Liam Neeson star as Carolyn and Ben Ryan, parents of a teenage boy who is wanted for questioning in the death of a teenage girl in this 1996 film directed by Barbet Schroeder, adapted from the 1992 novel by Rosellen Brown. When Jacob (Edward Furlong) goes missing without a word, Carolyn is ready to cooperate with the local sheriff, but the hot-tempered Ben becomes belligerent and starts destroying any evidence that could incriminate his son. When Jacob returns a month later and tells his family what happened, they hire a veteran defense attorney (Alfred Molina) and Ben pressures Jacob into changing his story—continuing to sabotage his own son's defense—while the conflict with Carolyn takes a toll on their marriage. Neeson plays Ben as an angry, explosive man while Streep's Carolyn, a local physician, is so restrained she barely registers in some scenes. The emotionally-charged mistakes made by Ben feel more like plot contrivances than misguided errors and the parents come off more like caricatures than complex characters struggling with how best to protect their son. Fans of the powerhouse stars may be interested in this drama but it is far from their best. Extras include audio commentary by Schroeder and editor Lee Percy. Not a necessary purchase. (S. Axmaker)