Before Night Falls

Rating:
Summary: An amazing piece of work by Schnabel & Bardem
Review: Julian Schnabel's astounding growth as a filmmaker is fully in evidence in this spectacular work. "Basquiat" was, well, interesting but, let's face it, the title character was really not someone you felt like rooting for. In contrast "Before Night Falls" is light-years ahead of it in terms of narrative, character development and vision.

And Schnabel's #1 triumph is in chossing Javier Bardem to play Reinaldo Arenas. This role was an amazing stretch for Bardem. He essentially needed to learn two languages to play Arenas: Cuban-accented Spanish & Cuban-accented English. A background tip on Bardem: Go rent "Live Flesh" (a.k.a. "Carne Tremula"). Watch him in that movie and note the amazing contrast in...*everything* between these two roles. This, my friends, is acting. If anyone besides Bardem walks away with tonight's (3/25/2001) Oscar for Best Actor, it'll be a crime.

As a good complement to the film, I strongly recommend that you read Phillip Weiss' piece about Schnabel in the 03/25/2001 New York Times Sunday Magazine. Schnabel is the very definition of a larger-than-life character. In the Independent Spirit Film awards yesterday, Bardem said of Schnabel "I've never met anyone like you, my friend. Your heart is as big as your body...and that's very big." A very touching and well-deserved tribute to a man of uncompromising drive and vision.

Rating:
Summary: DREAM & NIGHTMARE
Review: Julian Schnabel's stunning film biography of Cuban poet Reinaldo Arena is at once a dream and a nightmare, and accomplishes what few artist biographies ever do -- it embodies in spirit and in tone the work of the man whose story it tells. Javier Bardem will rip your heart out as the sensitive, brilliant gay poet, whose chaotic, joyful, and sad life takes more than its fair share of impactful, pathetic turns. Yet the spirit of the poet, whose words are laced throughout the movie in deftly placed pockets of time, is unstoppable, and his lust for life and for humanity washes over the movie at all times. This is surely one of the best movies of the year, and a true work of art. Visually stunning, and underscored with a variety of expertly chosen musical selections (the end title sequence is a typically bold move), this movie will defy your expectations, and make you think.

Rating:
Summary: One of the better gay movies with a plot
Review: This movie is a lot better than persay Billy Elliot or Big Eden. Only because it is actually a gay movie and the plot isnt hidden along the way. The movie does has a lot of gay action in it which i like to see in a gay movie that is the reason why i rented it. On top of that johnny Depp is in this movie in two different characters one of a Drag Queen and the other an officer. When hes an officer hes groping himself which was pretty hot. The movie also had great direction and it was just easy to get involved into. I liked it a lot.

Rating:
Summary: Many writers are dead before we know how great they are
Review: Director Julian Schnabel, an artist himself, has centered his two best-known films on fine, misunderstood artists. "Basquiat" (with Jeffrey Wright) was well-received and lovingly portrayed. The life of Fernando Arenas, in "Before Night Falls", was a little more complicated, but true artistry shows through. This writer, a victim of Castro's Cuba, had a tough time dealng with his own personal situation as well as his powerful desire to write. A fearless, powerful performance by Javier Bardem carries this beyond any simple story. Mr. Schnabel managed to get Johnny Depp to provide a dual role (or was it?); one as a gorgeous transvestite and the other as a nasty Lieutenant of the guard. Olivier Martinez ("Unfaithful") was strong. So many beautiful men in one film, acting against type. Very intriguing. Cameo appearances from Sean Penn, and the great old character actor, Pedro Armendariz (as the grandpa) were well-integrated. The great director Hector Babenco ("Kiss of the Spider Woman") also has a small role.It's Bardem who carries this to greatness, with Schnabel's sure hand; cinematography was remarkably beautiful for an independent film. Here's the influence of Schnabel, always the artist. Extras on the DVD include a real interview with Arenas; a short video recollection by Schnabel's daughter, Lola, taken during the filming in Mexico. Another longer extra includes a tour of Schnabel's art studio, which I thought might be a self-indulgent trip, but is actually quite insightful into the mind of this talented man.But it's the remarkable, beautiful Javier Bardem that is the #1 reason to see this film. He'd won many awards for it, including the Independent Spirit Award, and an Oscar nomination. I'm very impressed.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Film
Review: This film is really intriging. For someone who doesn't consider herself a drama fan, this film [...] me in and kept me hooked. The story of this writer really made me think about how art and drive and will to live can help someone overcome the most stacked of odds. It is also a very interesting look into gay politics in that time and place in the world.

As a person studying GLBT studies as a degree, I recommend you view this film. As a human being, I recommend you view this film. Most people see it because of Johnny Depp's performance (as 2 characters) but that fact is very minor, although he does an excellent job. The main actor is astounding and makes you believe what is real, even though it is so unbelievable.

Rating:
Summary: Superb Bardem Galvanizes Painterly Look at Reinaldo Arenas
Review: Spanish-born actor Javier Bardem gives a staggering performance as Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas, which is lucky since he is in almost every frame of this film. In fact, he is the only constant in a biopic that sometimes feels disjointed and a bit long-winded, piecing together as it does the various episodes of Arenas' life sometimes sacrificing narrative flow in the process. At the same time, this is a powerfully moving film that displays the intensity of the post-revolution persecution experienced by Cubans more effectively than either Carlos Eire's memoir, "Waiting for Snow in Havana", or Hollywood confections such as Sydney Pollack's "Havana" or Richard Lester's "Cuba".

Director Julian Schnabel, an artist himself who had previously directed a film about celebrity graffiti artist Jean Michael Basquiat, jumps back and forth like an abstract painter clarifying time periods by employing captions. We first see Arenas' birth in 1943 rural Cuba followed by glimpses of his poverty-stricken childhood. The story then moves forward to 1958 just before Castro rose to power and when Arenas becomes a revolutionary living in eastern Cuba. By 1964, as both an open gay and an intellectual, Arenas' writings have made him anathema to Castro's regime. For the next fifteen years, he shuttles back and forth between jail and freedom, and Arenas' story sheds much light on the difficult of living as a member of not just one but two minorities. In highly visual terms, Schnabel creates a striking tableau of life in Cuba that shows how getting out of Cuba was not an easy decision for natives to make, and Arenas, like most Cubans, makes it only begrudgingly at first. Imagine having to give up everything and fleeing. There is a vividly filmed sequence of an all-night party in an abandoned convent that houses a homemade hot-air balloon (shades of Jules Verne) by which one of them decides to escape selfishly and fatally. There are also some powerful scenes that show the humiliating torture Arenas experienced in prison ending finally with his escape and ultimately his departure from Cuba in the Mariel Harbor exodus of 1980 as one of Castro's "undesirables". Arenas then went into exile in New York living with his former lover, Lazaro. Sadly, soon after his arrival in America, he became ill with AIDS. The American sequence is short, allowing maximum time for the Cuba ordeal that makes up most of the film.

The charismatic Bardem is superb capturing the emotional combustion in his character's life. There are a few guest appearances that somewhat undermine the story's realism, a nearly unrecognizable turn by Sean Penn as a Cuban peasant and in dual roles, Johnny Depp as a sadistic, closeted lieutenant and a transvestite named Bon Bon, who entertains prisoners in El Moro prison. And the use of English versus Spanish seems to be more at the director's discretion than the actual circumstances within scenes. But these are forgivable indulgences since Schnabel has made a valuable film telling a tale of Cuban struggle and hardship of a type that we surprisingly don't see that often in film. At 133 minutes, it does seem a bit overlong, but Arenas packed a full life in his 47 years. Most importantly, Schnabel successfully paints a picture depicting the influences behind Arenas' writing: his difficult childhood, his conflicted feelings for his mother, coming to terms with his sexuality, the revolution in Cuba, and the pain of being an outcast in his own country. As one might expect from a painter, Schnabel uses images as effectively as words to advance the story. Most are simple and quite beautiful, such as an early scene of a rainstorm that turns into a raging torrent of water, a later shot of countless prison inmates dangling bars of soap outside of their jail cells, or flashes of snow falling in New York as Arenas and his friend lie on a speeding convertible. Nevertheless, because Arenas, as a writer, dealt in words, it is impossible to tell his story without embracing this component, and Bardem's economical voiceovers attest to that aspect in a dramatically effective manner. Strongly recommended in spite of the relatively minor flaws. The DVD also includes an interesting French television interview with the real Arenas from 1983.

Rating:
Summary: Well Done Movie with Some Language Mix-Ups
Review: Successful in describing what Cuba is all about, this film is also about life. It made me think that, not only in this writer's case, but great writings or other creative works were made in prison. There is something about prison that can force us grasp the nature of life. Or perhaps it can also be said that nothing can kill truly liberal mind.

In the movie, English was spoken among Cubans in Cuba, whereas suddenly they start speaking Spanish without translation. I find it very annoying. It makes a perfect sense if they spoke Spanish in Cuban prison and start speaking English after he left Cuba. I live in Miami and am surrounded by thousands of Cubans, so I know that Cubans in Cuba do not typically speak English to have conversations among themselves. I don't mind subtitles while the scene was in Cuba, and I wish what was what they did. Unfortunately this language mix-up is the reason why I cannot give 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: A powerful and moving story.
Review: I initially wanted to see this movie because I am a huge Oliver Martinez fan and I wanted to see more of his work. The fact that Oliver does not appear until the end of this movie did not really cause a problem for me. I was so engrossed from beginning to end with this movie that I hardly noticed Oliver was missing. Javier Bardem has to be one of the most passionate actors I have ever seen. I was mesmerized by his protrayal of Reinaldo Arenas. And while this movie may not be for everyone, I would say it is the best biographical movie I have seen in my lifetime. As added bonuses, there was Oliver Martinez, for me, of course. Also, Sean Penn was very good in his few minutes on the screen. Johnny Depp had me lauging out loud at his potrayal of the transvite and the officer. His facial expressions alone are pure comical genius. And, while I am a huge Johnny Depp fan,as well, I am glad his parts were minimal as Javier Bardem is the true acting genius in this film. I am now going to further investigate Reinaldo Arenas and Javier Bardem and see what else they have done that may interest me. Isn't that the true motivation of a movie or writer....making you want more from them?

Rating:
Summary: so many gaps in the story
Review: This movie is the story of a gay Cuban writer who eventually makes it to the U.S. to escape the persecution he's suffered in Cuba. And that's about all that can be inferred from this movie. There are large chunks that are spoken in a different language. But there are no English subtitles so you have no idea at all what's going on. This disrupts the already choppy flow of the movie so that it has almost no cohesiveness at all. Whatever the message of this movie is, whatever it's trying to convey, it's lost in the plotless story.

Rating:
Summary: Transports You
Review: "Before Night Falls" recounts the incredible life of Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas, played with great sensitivity by Spanish actor Javier Bardem. Born a peasant in the 1930's, Arenas had the great misfortune of being a gay writer in a country that considered art and homosexuality to be counter-revolutionary. "Before Night Falls" is based on his memoir and relates his imprisonment in Cuba and subsequent exodus to the United States. Despite this persecution, Arenas' work flourished and was published widely, albeit mostly outside of Cuba.

Director Julian Schnabel is a well-known "neo-expressionist" painter; accordingly, he is able to bring an artist's understanding and sensibility to the story. His prior film was "Basquiat," about the 1980's graffiti artist. Although Schnabel seems to be limiting himself to portraits of artists, the two films are very disparate. Specifically, "Before Night Falls" is much grander in scope and incorporates more directorial flourishes than does "Basquiat." Despite the epic sweep of the film, Schnabel successfully tells Arenas' very personal and heart-rending story. Another major asset of the film is the cinematography and ambiance; vibrant colors and people populate the film. The viewer is transported to 1960s Cuba; you can feel the humidity and the pulse of the Mambo music.

Javier Bardem gives an astonishing performance, for which he deservedly received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor. For the role, he was required to learn Cuban-Spanish as well as English. The DVD extras include a 7 minute interview with Arenas, and it's apparent that Bardem nails the look and speech of the artist, without reverting to a simple impersonation. Although most of the actors are of Latin descent, two big American stars have small roles: Johnny Depp has hilarious joint roles as a Cuban transvestite and a Cuban general, and Sean Penn plays a peasant farmer, rather convincingly too. The only minor debit of the film is that it's a tad over-long and could have used a bit more editing. However, overall, "Before Night Falls" is a superb film that perfectly captures another time and another place. Most highly recommended.

Extras: The extras include an interesting commentary track with Schnabel and Bardem, a short behind-the-scenes documentary filmed by Schnabel's daughter, and an interview with Arenas conducted in 1984 after he immigrated to the U.S.