The defence The Auteur Devotee
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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Before and After
Crime · Drama · Mystery · 1996
Two parents deal with the effects when their son is accused of murdering his girlfriend.
Movie details
Before and After
“A murder. A suspect. A shadow of a doubt.”
1996 Crime · Drama · Mystery 1h 48m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
5.9 / 10
Community rating
Two parents deal with the effects when their son is accused of murdering his girlfriend.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Before and After?
For the defence
The Auteur Devotee
“You watch the director, not the movie.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Gourmet Detective: A Healthy Place to Die
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When Henry is invited as a guest speaker at a luxury resort spa, he quickly finds himself at the center of another murder. With Maggie at his side, our favorite duo must not only find the killer but be careful they don't become his latest victim.
Black Widow
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When a young stage hopeful is found dead, suspicion falls on her mentor, a successful Broadway producer.
Murder on the Orient Express
Mystery · 2017
Genius Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of an American tycoon aboard the Orient Express train.
Miss Marple: They Do It with Mirrors
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At the insistence of Ruth Van Rydock, an old schoolfriend who is convinced that there is something wrong, Miss Marple agrees to visit 'Stonygates', the country house of Ruth's sister.
The Mask of Dimitrios
Crime · 1944
A mystery writer is intrigued by the tale of notorious criminal Dimitrios Makropolous, whose dead body was found washed up on the shore in Istanbul. He decides to follow the career of Dimitrios around Europe, in order to learn more about the man. Along the way he is joined by the mysterious Mr. Peters, who has his own motivation.
The Blue Gardenia
Crime · 1953
Upon waking up to the news that the man she’d gone on a date with the previous night has been murdered, a young woman with only a faint memory of the night’s events begins to suspect that she murdered him while attempting to resist his advances.
Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Reunited and It Feels So Deadly
Mystery · 2020
Aurora's high school reunion turns deadly when a body is found in the hotel pool. Aurora and her Real Murders Club help investigate which classmate was most likely to kill.
Limbo
Crime · 2023
Travis, a jaded detective, arrives in the remote outback town of Limbo to investigate the cold case murder of local Indigenous girl Charlotte Hayes 20 years ago. As truths about the murder begin to unfold, the detective gains a new insight into the unsolved case.
Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: How to Con A Con
Mystery · 2021
When Aida Teagarden's real estate client is found murdered, her sleuthing daughter Aurora sets out with her fiancé Nick and the Real Murders Club to solve the murder.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Barbet Schroeder
Written by
Ted Tally
Meryl Streep
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
Court is in session
Put Before and After on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.