Before Night Falls

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Before Night Falls

R,

2001,

2h 12m,

Drama/

LGBTQ+

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Watchlist

74%

100 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

10,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

74%

Tomatometer

100 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

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.

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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Peter Travers

Rolling Stone

Jun 4, 2001

5/5

In uniting to honor Arenas, Bardem and Schnabel create something extraordinary.

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Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

Mar 12, 2001

Clearly this is Bardem's show. And Bardem walks away with it.

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Michael O'Sullivan

Washington Post

Feb 23, 2001

It's a struggle not just to make art but to exist, which is itself an art. And to that goal, the cast members, led by the astonishing Bardem, allow themselves to be devoured by the roles they are playing.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 19, 2023

3/4

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.

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Elizabeth Richardson

Out Magazine

May 27, 2022

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

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Austin Kennedy

Film Geek Central

May 10, 2013

1.5/4

This could have been a compelling movie about a wonderful writer, but instead it's a tedious, pointless mess. After spending over 2 hours with Arenas, I still knew nothing about him. Javier Bardem's great performance seemed to be a complete waste.

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Theodore S

Jan 14, 2019

Cuban goes all out to write...crazy true story

Hermione L

Jan 8, 2019

This film of the reallife of an unabashed homer-sexual is much too crazy. Not a realistic view of Cuba.

Draco W

Oct 4, 2017

I guess I'm in the minority but I was surprised at how much of this focused more on Cuba than on Reinaldo Arenas' inner life or work. Though it's arguable perhaps that the two cannot be separated. And not to say the Cuban Revolution is in any way uninteresting. But I thought the movie glossed over a lot of very pivotal life moments in favor of advancing the years, which seemed backwards to me for a biopic. Either way, very well acted all around and I liked the mixture of languages even if this should have really just been in Spanish the entire time. But at least it was part of the time.

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Anakin P

Feb 19, 2017

Before Night Falls is able to honor its subject without turning into hagiography thanks to Javier Bardem's impassioned performance as Reinaldo Arenas.

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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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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
Producer: Jon Kilik
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
Runtime: 2h 12m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround

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