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Before Night Falls

2000

Julian Schnabel

Javier Bardem, Olivier Martínez, Andrea Di Stefano, Johnny Depp ...

6.6

9,852

Drama Episodic look at the life of Cuban poet and novelist, Reinaldo Arenas (1943-1990), from his childhood in Oriente province to his death in New York City. He joins Castro's rebels. By 1964, he is in Havana. He meets the wealthy Pepe, an early lover; a love-hate relationship lasts for years. Openly gay behavior is a way to spite the government. His writing and homosexuality get him into trouble: he spends two years in prison, writing ... [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"A rich canvas of dream sequences, fragmented childhood memories, and the wild Cuban demimonde inhabited by Arenas (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"
		Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"Arenas is never shown thinking or writing or talking about any of his experiences, despite his status as political prisoner (...) A winning performance from Bardem"
		Angie Errigo Empire	"Terrific: poetic, moving and uplifting. Bardem's wonderful work - humorous, ardent, noble - didn't just deserve that "surprise" Oscar nomination. He should have won (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Stephen Holden The New York Times	"It hovers ethereally over its subject and conjures up fragments of his consciousness in brilliant, disconnected flashes (...) [It] is mercifully neither hagiographic nor politically strident"
		Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader	"The film is less visually inventive than its predecessor and perhaps even more questionable as an accurate portrait (...) This is still an impressive piece of filmmaking"
		David Rooney Variety	"A dense, emotionally satisfying portrait of a man, a time and a place while making a moving statement about marginalized existences and the basic right of freedom"
		Scott Tobias AV Club	"An ambitious but emotionally diffuse look at Cuban-born poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas"
		Peter Travers Rolling Stone	"Bardem is the film’s glory (...) [He] explodes onscreen in a breakthrough performance that ranks with the year’s best (...) Bardem and Schnabel create something extraordinary."

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