In several films dealing with murders and courts I have seen too many plots going directly to their end and leaving little of reality, i.e. somewhat artificially done. The present one is, in my opinion, different. Although the son of Ryan's family (Jacob) proved to be a normal guy and not guilty of what the whole community thought about it, the court finally sentenced him for a short period in prison. This was because He did not inform immediately to the justice of what happened to him with his girl-friend, and the way she accidentally killed herself. Another interesting aspect of the film is the good acting of Liam Neeson. He did it in such a real way that I thought he was really Jacob's father, a man loving his son but with too much impulses and low level of thinking. Meryl Streep was excellent as usual while Edward Furlong as Jacob did it also very well.
Review of Before and After
