Fergus
02-01-2002, 07:53 PM
Before and After
Director: Barbet Shroeder
Cast: Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson, Edward Furlong, John Heard, Alfred Molina.
PG13/1996/106 minutes.
"Your whole life can change in a second, and you never even know when it's coming."
Things change, people change, and obviously, movie plots never change. That is the problem that plagues Barbet Shroeder's Before and After. Furlong is a good kid. He does well in school, and is well trusted by his parents. One night he doesn't come home, and instead of their son returning, the police show up telling the parents that their son is the main suspect in the death of a local girl; the local girl was his girlfriend, and only a few people knew about it. The father, played by Liam Neeson, immediately tries to cover-up any evidence relating to the supposed murder. The motives of the father are still confusing, and are not backed up by later scenes in the film. The father hadn't been getting along well with his son, and that makes it more puzzling as to why he covered up evidence to protect his son. The reason why Schroeder picked such a troubled script is beyond my thinking, because he made such a great film, Reversal of Fortune, years before.
The story wishes to convey this mystery and show the aftermath of the family's mistakes. The scenes are compelling but, based upon believability, they fail miserably. Liam Neeson is a decent actor, but his part is incredibly one-dimensional, underwritten, and overplayed. Furlong's acting abilities are considerably lacking, and didn't work because he sounds like he is still stuck in puberty (which he probably was), and made me want to laugh each time he talked. His performance her is nowhere near the performance in American History X. Also, the daughter is terribly cast, and underplayed. However, Streep is the one actor who succeeds in playing her character with the right amount of depth and believability; the only character I actually liked.
There is one really great scene in the middle of the film, when Furlong reveals to his parents the events that led up to the death of his girlfriend. It is especially creepy, set agains the backdrop of a snowy landscape. For some reason, Schroeder succeeds very well in creating effective flashback sequences; if you need a better example, go watch the aforementioned Reversal of Fortune. As for the rest of the film, it only succeeds halfway in believably creating this family, their struggles against the rest of the town, with themselves, and the law. However, the realistic conclusion redeems itself for the many mistakes made throughout the course of the film. Schroeder doesn't succeed in creating a believable film, but he tries, and that leaves me somewhere, stranded in the middle of the road, as to what to think of it.
*** out of five.
[This message has been edited by Fergus (edited 02-06-2002).]
Director: Barbet Shroeder
Cast: Meryl Streep, Liam Neeson, Edward Furlong, John Heard, Alfred Molina.
PG13/1996/106 minutes.
"Your whole life can change in a second, and you never even know when it's coming."
Things change, people change, and obviously, movie plots never change. That is the problem that plagues Barbet Shroeder's Before and After. Furlong is a good kid. He does well in school, and is well trusted by his parents. One night he doesn't come home, and instead of their son returning, the police show up telling the parents that their son is the main suspect in the death of a local girl; the local girl was his girlfriend, and only a few people knew about it. The father, played by Liam Neeson, immediately tries to cover-up any evidence relating to the supposed murder. The motives of the father are still confusing, and are not backed up by later scenes in the film. The father hadn't been getting along well with his son, and that makes it more puzzling as to why he covered up evidence to protect his son. The reason why Schroeder picked such a troubled script is beyond my thinking, because he made such a great film, Reversal of Fortune, years before.
The story wishes to convey this mystery and show the aftermath of the family's mistakes. The scenes are compelling but, based upon believability, they fail miserably. Liam Neeson is a decent actor, but his part is incredibly one-dimensional, underwritten, and overplayed. Furlong's acting abilities are considerably lacking, and didn't work because he sounds like he is still stuck in puberty (which he probably was), and made me want to laugh each time he talked. His performance her is nowhere near the performance in American History X. Also, the daughter is terribly cast, and underplayed. However, Streep is the one actor who succeeds in playing her character with the right amount of depth and believability; the only character I actually liked.
There is one really great scene in the middle of the film, when Furlong reveals to his parents the events that led up to the death of his girlfriend. It is especially creepy, set agains the backdrop of a snowy landscape. For some reason, Schroeder succeeds very well in creating effective flashback sequences; if you need a better example, go watch the aforementioned Reversal of Fortune. As for the rest of the film, it only succeeds halfway in believably creating this family, their struggles against the rest of the town, with themselves, and the law. However, the realistic conclusion redeems itself for the many mistakes made throughout the course of the film. Schroeder doesn't succeed in creating a believable film, but he tries, and that leaves me somewhere, stranded in the middle of the road, as to what to think of it.
*** out of five.
[This message has been edited by Fergus (edited 02-06-2002).]