Through these extreme rises and falls, Arenas is always writing; his typewriter his most faithful lover and weapon (by way of smuggled manuscripts) against the dark forces that surround him. As Time magazine's Richard Corliss wrote, Arenas is "a serious actor's dream role: to be a gay Jesus in a modern Passion Play," and Javier Bardem--the first Spanish actor to receive an Oscar nomination--inhabits the role with subtle ferocity, charting this emotional odyssey with outer reserve but blazing infernos of internal passion. While Schnabel suffers from a hyperactive camera, there's poetry here--visual, dramatic, and literal--and vibrant humour to temper the deep tragedy of Arenas's life. Schnabel also uses his actor friends to good advantage: a nearly unrecognizable Sean Penn adds an ironic touch to his brief appearance as a peasant, and Johnny Depp is both funny and fearsome in dual roles as a drag queen and vicious army interrogator. --Jeff Shannon

The times when the pace of the film slows I found to be most effective in making you care even more, and feel much closer to, Reinaldo, almost as if the film had gone into real time and you suddenly realised you were almost in the room with the characters, and at their most vulnerable time. The slowing of the pace happens occasionally, but most of all as Reinaldo's health is deteriorating; as with the whole of the film, this is impeccably handled. This film's had me in tears both times, near the end, and I don't easily cry at anything! Amazing movie, powerful and well worth seeing again and again. One of the most human films I can recall seeing.


Limited appeal   September 3, 2005
 11 out of 18 found this review helpful

I only watched this because i knew Johnny Depp had a small part in it. I didn't know what it was about and only knew that Depp played a drag queen. Perhaps if i'd known more beforehand my opinion on it would be different.

The film is a biopic of a writer, set in Cuba. We see glimpses of his childhood, to his adult life where he spends a period in jail, basically for being homosexual, up until his death. I could tell you more if i even knew myself. I found it hard to follow what was going on and the dialogue can be hard to understand with thier accents. The film was also too long and dragged on at the end. I only realised the man died from AIDS from reading the other reviews on here.

I did like the soundtrack to the film and there are some beautiful sequences where there is music playing over a scene and no dialogue. The acting cannot be faulted either.

I think this film has a limited target audience. Unless you have an interest in Reinaldo Arenas or Cuban history then i'd guess that you're not going to enjoy it much.

I do have a broad taste in films and enjoy many independent and foreign films so it's not like i'm someone who just can't handle a non-mainstream film. Before Night Falls just didn't interest me, i found it slow moving and difficult to follow.


Stunning   August 26, 2005
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

I haven't seen this for a while but I think its quite stunning. Its poignant, moving, interesting and humourous, tragic and shocking. The latter refers simply to the fact that Reinaldo Arenas' life ended in this suicide, when the film creates (in its portrayal of 1950's Cuba) a world almost before innocence lost! Obviously that might not make sense completely - But I mean it is portrayed as a vibrant, bright, free and easy world.
This contrasts strongly with the representation of Castro-era Communism.
I think the film, like the book, is just utterly moving and quite beautifully filmed. As well, it makes some important observations about the period in history and freedom from censorship, be it the banning of free media/authorship or the censorship of unwanted deviants from society.
If you haven't seen it, do so. You'll be proud to have it and see it again.