Before and After (1996) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Ben discovered the gloves and car jack in Jacob's car after Sheriff Conklin left. Fearing his son might be guilty and wanting to protect the family from scandal, Ben impulsively burned the gloves and cleaned the jack, hiding it among his art materials. This rash decision was driven by paternal instinct, but it ultimately made him an accessory to obstruction and landed him in prison.

Foreshadowing: Ben's protective impulse is shown early when he refuses to let the sheriff search without a warrant, establishing his willingness to shield his family.

• ben ryan
• evidence
• cover-up
• gloves
• car jack
• arrest

Jacob used a clever relay method to send postcards without being caught. He would take a train to Boston airport and approach travelers heading to various cities. He would press a postcard into their hands, claiming he had just returned from a vacation but forgot to mail the card. The travelers, thinking they were helping a forgetful tourist, would mail the postcards when they reached their destinations, effectively relaying his messages home.

• postcards
• jacob
• travel
• anonymity
• communication

Jacob and Martha got into a violent confrontation in his car during a snowstorm. Martha revealed she was pregnant and had been sleeping with other boys, which enraged Jacob. During their struggle to free the stuck car, Martha swung a crowbar at Jacob. He knocked her down, and she landed face-first on the car jack, dying instantly from the injury. It was an accidental death during a fight, not premeditated murder.

Foreshadowing: The initial report mentions witnesses saw Jacob with Martha before she died, hinting at a confrontation.

• martha taverner
• jacob
• death
• fight
• car jack
• pregnancy

When Carolyn was called to the stand, she chose to tell the truth about what she knew, even though it contradicted Jacob's account. Her testimony revealed the real events of Martha's death, making her appear as a hostile witness to Jacob's lawyer. She believed honesty was necessary, even if it meant exposing her son's crime, leading to a severe family rift.

Foreshadowing: Carolyn's earlier fear that Ben's cover-up might have destroyed crucial evidence shows her internal conflict about truth versus protection.

• carolyn ryan
• testimony
• jacob
• trial
• truth
• family rift

After Jacob arrived at the police station and gave a full confession, Ben was asked to sign the document but refused. He told the officers he could never sign away his son. This moment represented Ben's inability to fully accept Jacob's guilt and his continued impulse to protect his child, even as the truth was finally coming out.

Foreshadowing: Ben's consistent protection of Jacob throughout the film, from the initial cover-up to coaching him on a different version of events, foreshadows his inability to fully let go.

• ben ryan
• jacob
• confession
• signature
• police station

Ben was called before the grand jury and believed he could invoke father-son privilege to avoid testifying against Jacob. However, he learned there is no such shield between parent and child in court. This realization forced him to face the possibility that his own testimony could be used against his son, and it ultimately contributed to the collapse of his coached defense strategy.

Foreshadowing: Ben's early refusal to let the sheriff search without a warrant shows his understanding of legal protections, making his later shock at the lack of father-son privilege more impactful.

• grand jury
• ben
• privilege
• testimony
• deposition
• lawyer

When Martha Taverner was killed and witnesses placed Jacob near the scene, the small Western Massachusetts town reacted with fear and suspicion. Neighbors believed a potential killer lived among them, and the community responded with ostracism, spreading rumors and posting signs. This collective suspicion added immense pressure on the family and made their search for Jacob even more difficult.

• town
• community
• suspicion
• neighbors
• ostracism
• rumors

Jacob was sentenced to five years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. However, he was released after serving two years with probation. His father Ben received a sentence of nearly one year for his role in the cover-up and obstruction of justice.

• jacob
• sentence
• manslaughter
• prison
• probation
• court

After Carolyn's testimony exposed the truth and contradicted Jacob's version of events, a fierce family argument erupted. The next morning, Jacob disappeared again. He later turned up at the police station to provide a full confession, seemingly unable to live with the family conflict and the weight of the truth.

Foreshadowing: Jacob's earlier catatonic state upon returning from Boston shows his psychological fragility under pressure.

• jacob
• missing
• confession
• family argument
• police station

A harassing phone call from a townsman pushed Ben to defend his son fiercely. This moment of paternal defense moved Jacob to open up to his father about what really happened the night Martha died. He recounted the fight, Martha's revelation about her pregnancy and infidelity, and how the struggle with the car jack led to her fatal injury.

Foreshadowing: Ben's earlier attempts to coach Jacob on a different version of events show the family's efforts to control the narrative.

• jacob
• truth
• harrasment call
• ben
• confession
• pregnancy