A 16mm independent production, BEFORE AND AFTER begins in 1945 with a man killing his wife, his daughter, and himself upon hearing that an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. The film then shifts to the present, centering on the only surviving son of the family massacre who's now a
skid-row bum. During the course of the film he deals with his guilt and sexual repression by acting the aggressor and threatening anyone and everyone with a handgun. Shot on a minimal $10,000 budget, BEFORE AND AFTER shows a strong influence from Alain Resnais' brilliant 1959 film HIROSHIMA, MON
AMOUR but lacks the insight that made that film great. All the punches in this Los Angeles-shot black-and-white picture are telegraphed. The post-synchronized sound is badly done.
