Before Night Falls

Name: Before Night Falls
Genre: Biography, Drama
Released: December 22, 2000
Duration: 133 min
Rating: 85

2000

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 26 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 37 Ratings

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6.6

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6.6	Your Score
6.6	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 37 Ratings

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Before Night Falls

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Movie Details & Credits

Fine Line Features | Release Date: December 22, 2000 | R

Summary: A richly imagined joumey into the life and writings of the brilliant Cuban author and exile Reinaldo Arenas. [Fine Line Features]

Director: Julian Schnabel

Genre(s): Biography, Drama

Rating: R

Runtime: 133 min

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Critic Reviews

100

David Ansen

This powerful, lyrical meditation on Arenas's life achieves a kind of hallucinatory urgency as it leaps and twists through his life.

100

Edward Guthmann

It's an horrific and tragic story, but somehow made beautiful through the care and attention of Schnabel's direction and Bardem's tender, unforgettable performance. Read full review

David Rooney

A dense, emotionally satisfying portrait of a man, a time and a place. Read full review

Jay Carr

Most of all it's the emotional and spiritual arc of an exile, in all its terrible isolation, that gives ''Before Night Falls'' its power.

Dallas Observer David Ehrenstein

Arenas' story is a downer that doesn't produce despair. That's because of the exceptional bravery of Arenas himself, and the understanding that both Schnabel and his extraordinary leading man, Javier Bardem, have of him, his world, and his time. Read full review

Stephen Holden

Like a deathbed dream it leapfrogs through Arenas's life, reconstructing crucial moments as a succession of bright, feverish illuminations. Read full review

Sean Axmaker

Under Schnabel's direction, it becomes stilted and static, if not simplistic. Read full review

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User Reviews

JohnnyStephens

Aug 25, 2013

It's without doubt one of the best films ever made!! I wasn't expecting Johnny Depp to play this role and I am impressed that he played so good. I have no words for Javier Bardem.......he was perfect!!

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

ryancarroll88

Aug 26, 2010

Aside from a few fleeting moments of cinematic brilliance and some key performances, Julian Schnabel's biopic of homosexual Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas falls flat on its face. Guest spots by Sean Penn and Johnny Depp are hilarious, though.

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

KenR

May 23, 2022

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 itWhile 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.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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