Before Night Falls

R

Released Jan 26, 2001

2 hr. 12 min.

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

74%

101 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A richly imagined journey into the life and writings of brilliant Cuban author and exile Reinaldo Arenas. It spans the whole of Arenas' life, from his rural childhood and his early embrace of the Revolution to the persecution he would later experience as a writer and homosexual in Castro's Cuba; from his departure from Cuba in the Mariel Harbor exodus of 1980 to his exile and death in the United States.

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Critics Consensus

An impressionistic, fragmented look at Reinaldo Arenas, Before Night Falls' imagery manages to evoke a sense of the writer's artistry, and Bardem's strong performance holds the film together. Finally, a biopic done well.

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Taylor L

With the names attached to Before Night Falls, things fall into place about how you'd expect - Julian Schnabel directs an imaginative biography about a nonfiction protagonist going through some form of suffering and/or repression, and Javier Bardem gives a more than capable leading performance that allows you to gloss over some of the faults. Bardem takes on the Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas, whose homosexuality and political criticism frequently caused his work to be suppressed by the Castro regime. The film tackles episodes in his life with apparent accuracy and picks apart some fascinating individual scenes - the gay scene in Revolutionary Cuba, a residency in a collapsing cathedral constructing a hot air balloon to fly to the United States, and a tenure as a prison writer smuggling portions of his novel out through Johnny Depp's butt. But the film seems to tiptoe around dissecting Arenas as a character, and his actual literary output is almost completely ignored; you don't step away feeling that you know more about the nonfiction subject except for the fact that he was persecuted. The acting is very good, Bardem never wavers in his capability and a near-unrecognizable Depp plays both a handsome police officer and a prisoner in glamorous drag (it's an unorthodox role that almost never gets brought up given Depp's fame). But Arenas simply suffers in Cuba, then simply suffers from AIDS somewhere else; early hints at Arenas the author seem much more distinctive than Arenas the victim. For a film about a Cuban writer that takes place almost entirely in Cuba, a surprising amount of this film is in English. But there seems to be something of a point to that, as most of the Cuban scenes include dialogue in English, while that alternates to Spanish once Arenas escapes to New York; the language may come across as inauthentic in some places, but it's used as an indication of the protagonist's outcast nature, no matter where he goes. (3/5)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Ken R

While at times fleetingly fascinating, this work overwhelms itself with cinematic styles that intertwine into a vaguely incoherent, artistic ‘splash ‘n drip' type exercise. Director Julian Schnabel's intercutting of imagined events into the general story flow, often doesn't run smoothly as it should. If anything, the musical aspects of the production offer more interest than its variable visual styles, with composer Carter Burwell contributing considerable moodiness to several sequences. The homosexuality on display here is more the selfish-gratification type than the ‘relationship' variety. And with the Bi-sexual aspect being highlighted, it's little wonder sexual diseases proliferated in this society. Those who use their pro-creational organ in a ‘sewer' (so to speak) as regularly as these, invite serious risk factors. Added to this, the un-naturally high number of male ‘partners' Reinaldo Arenas boasted, virtually assured his sad and painful demise. Now, we also have the added threat of Monkeypox, credited as being born and spread within these lifestyles. The historical study of the introduction of Socialism into Cuban society and its impacts as displayed within this story - tends to confirm what many only learn after inviting this ominous system into its governing powers. While elements of the basic story often come across as somewhat fanciful, the cast does justice to the situations (some harrowing) within these flamboyant, risqué circles. This will be a film of limited interest to mainstream viewers (as the box office returns confirm) and may offer little enjoyment.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/25/22

Full Review

dave s

Julian Schnabel's Before Night Falls is the story of Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas, from early childhood to death, during the time of the Cuban Revolution. Initially enamored by the rebels and the deposing of President Batista, Castro's regime ultimately set their sites on the art community and homosexuals, causing Arenas to re-evaluate his principles. Javier Bardem gives a solid and subtle performance as the beleaguered writer. Schnabel's unique directorial skills are on full display, often opting to use a handheld camera and grainy stock to give the film a documentary-like vibe, which may not be appealing to some viewers but is undeniably effective in establishing the atmosphere.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

jordan m

I actually disliked this movie quite a lot. Obviously Bardem does a good job in it, but so does any other actor chosen to star in a biopic - in this case it felt like a lot of other things were done as cheap tricks to make him a shoe-in for an Oscar nomination, like alternating back-and-forth from Spanish to English even in the voice over, seemingly just to show that he can. It reminded me of the pro skateboarder Paul Rodriguez, who can do the same tricks in switch stance as he can in regular but is given unearned points for doing them switch stance because that's supposed to be more difficult. It felt as though the movie was nonstop exposition as they'd have a mildly momentous scene and then go right back to explaining things. They over-relied on the narration playing over fragmented 2nd-unit shots in lieu of actually acting out the passing of time. Arenas as a writer seemed like he'd enjoy this adaptation of his life as it was indeed very artsy with the color palette and the distinct style, but for me it just didn't make for a compelling cinematic experience. Disappointing.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

слободан е

Very decent film but nowhere near the book!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

steve d

I thought it dragged despite its fine performances.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Julian Schnabel

Director

Javier Bardem

Reinaldo Arenas

Olivier Martinez

Lazaro Gomez Carilles

Andrea Di Stefano

Pepe Malas

Johnny Depp

Bon Bon

Sean Penn

Cuco Sanchez

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Kimberley Jones

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 4.5/5

Mar 10, 2003

Full Review

Globe and Mail

Rated: 3/4

Mar 19, 2002

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 4/5

Jun 15, 2001

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Before Night Falls places its themes of sexual tolerance and freedom of expression in a context that interestingly emphasizes the activities themselves without ever muting the underlying messages.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 19, 2023

Full Review

Elizabeth Richardson

Out Magazine

Schnabel's heartbreaking movie boasts an Oscar-caliber performance by Javier Bardem as Arenas and a pair of extraordinary cameos by Johnny Depp.

May 27, 2022

Full Review

Jan Stuart

The Advocate

Director Schnabel makes all the right moves, not the least of which is the witty double-casting of Johnny Depp.

Apr 19, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

A richly imagined journey into the life and writings of brilliant Cuban author and exile Reinaldo Arenas. It spans the whole of Arenas' life, from his rural childhood and his early embrace of the Revolution to the persecution he would later experience as a writer and homosexual in Castro's Cuba; from his departure from Cuba in the Mariel Harbor exodus of 1980 to his exile and death in the United States.

Director: Julian Schnabel
Screenwriter: Reynaldo Arenas, Lázaro Gómez Carriles, Cunningham O'Keefe, Julian Schnabel
Distributor: Fine Line Features, United King Films, Keyfilms Roma, El Mar Pictures, Lolafilms Distribución, Grandview
Production Co: El Mar Pictures, Grandview Pictures
Rating: R (Some Language|Brief Violence|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 26, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.2M
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround

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