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Simply Perfect

Captivating movie !

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Visual artist Julian Schnabel was the perfect choice for bringing to the screen the richly colorful life and times of Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas (1943-1990). BEFORE NIGHT FALLS began as a book, Arenas' memoir, translated and released in 1993: time has aged the eloquence of this memoir but has not marred the impact of the brilliance of the writing. Arenas wrote with a degree of truth and keen observation that makes his moments of antics with his characters like comic relief in a Shakespearean play. The screenplay was written by Lázaro Gómez Carriles, Cunningham O'Keefe and Julian Schnabel who with great homage to Arenas made his life as narrated by Arenas, in an inextricable mix of his memories, dreams, nightmares and pure fiction. He grew up as poor, naked illegitimate child, joined Castro's Cuban revolution and became an intellectual, employed in the public library. After discovering his gay sexuality, he soon shares in the regime's inconsistent persecution. His work and life become dominated by the mix of temptation, fear, betrayal and man hunting in both senses. Finally he makes it to Manhattan, only to get caught in another trap for which there is only one tragic escape in the end - his death from AIDS.Arenas had a gift of distilling Magical Realism, transforming even the radical ugliness of Castro's Cuba into the topical paradise so beloved by Cubans everywhere. This cinematic version lets the viewer experience that rich literary output of one of the most exciting writers of the last century. For example, 'Walking along streets that collapse from crumbling sewers. Past buildings that you jump to avoid because they will fall on you. Past grim faces that size you up and sentence you. Past closed shops, closed markets, closed cinemas, closed parks, closed cafés. Sometimes showing dusty signs, justifications: "CLOSED FOR RENOVATION," "CLOSED FOR REPAIRS." What kind of repairs? When will these so-called renovations be finished? When at last will they begin? Closed... closed... closed... everything closed. I arrive, open the countless padlocks and run up the temporary stairs. There she is, waiting for me. I pull off the cover, and stare at her dusty, cold shape I clean of the dust and caress her. With my hand, delicately, I wipe clean her back, her base and her sides. In front of her, I feel desperate and happy. I run my fingers over her keyboard and suddenly it all starts up. With a tinkling sound the music begins, little by little, then faster; now full speed. Walls, trees, streets, cathedrals, faces and beaches. Cells, mini- cells, huge cells. Starry nights, bare feet, pines, clouds. Hundreds, thousands, millions of parrots. A stool, a climbing plant, they all answer my call, all come to me. The walls recede, the roof vanishes, and you float quite naturally. You float uprooted, dragged off, lifted high. Transported, immortalized, saved. Thanks to that subtle, continuous rhythm, that music, that incessant tap-tap.'Javier Bardem completely inhabits the poet that was Arenas - a performance so delicately nuanced that it remains one of the great moments in cinema. He is ably supported by Olivier Martinez as Lázaro Gómez Carriles, and incidental roles by Johnny Depp, Sean Penn, Diego Luna, Jerzy Skolimowski, Hector Babenco and a host of other fine actors. This is one of those films that remains a standard of the industry and certainly Javier Bardem will never be forgotten for his inhabiting the essence of what made Reinaldo Arenas a great writer. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp

Javier Bardem gives one incredible performance in this wrenching auto-biography of Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas who, in 1980, sought political asylum to the United States via his homosexuality after suffering for years under Castro's laws decrying political dissidents and sexual deviates. Born in the north Province of Oriente in Cuba in 1943, Arenas was raised mostly by his female relatives, his father having been banished from the family early on by his mother. Before he was a teenager, Arenas was already writing (carving words on tree trunks for the lack of paper); by the 1960s, he was in Havana studying at the university and winning awards and admirers. These early scenes work best for the film, as the narrative is lean and direct, and the lovely visual attributes (courtesy cinematographers Xavier Pérez Grobet and Guillermo Rosas) clearly delineate a particular (and turbulent) time and place with astonishing skill. The picture truly looks ravishing, and director Julian Schnabel relaxes the pace to help the viewer take it all in. Yet, after Arenas is arrested on fatuous molestation charges--and escapes from custody, and then gets caught and is put through hell--the film becomes more obscure, relishing in artistic flourishes but losing its immediacy. Arenas becomes the Patron Saint of Suffering. When Reinaldo finally gets to New York City, what should have been an exhilarating moment is squashed together with his sickness and death (10 years later!). It is to Bardem's credit as an actor that the final scenes work at all, because by this point we have lost touch with the inner-workings of the artist. Putting a writer's life on film has always been a difficult task for movie-makers (the process of creating isn't always a cinematic one), but Schnabel was doing so well in the first and second acts--allowing Reinaldo's talents to bloom--that it's doubly disappointing his final curtain should play as melodrama. **1/2 from ****

A few days ago I bought "Before Night Falls" for only €5. I'm big fan of Johnny Depp and that was the main reason why I bought this movie, even tough I didn't know anything about it. I watched it yesterday and I must say that this one is very good movie."Before Night Falls" is a story of Reinaldo Arenas, Cuban poet. It follows his life from childhood in Cuba to his death in New York. Arenas was also known for his open homosexuality; that mixed with his writing was a main reason why he was enemy of Castro's revolution. This movie is his story, his biography.Julian Schnabel is the main reason why this movie should be watched. His way of direction is amazing, and this was his second movie. My applause to you, Mr. Schnabel. What you got to have when your making a biographical movie is inspired leading actor. Schnabel choose Javier Bardem and he didn't make a mistake. Lots of people know, and started to appreciate him because of his role in "No Country for Old Men"; but Bardem's career is full of amazing roles. "Lunes al sol, Los", "Mar adentro"... Really great Spanish actor. I just cannot skip Depp. He again created characters that are great. He's here in a double role and he's memorable as Bon Bon/Lt. Victor. Olivier Martinez, Andrea Di Stefano, Michael Wincott are good and there is Sean Penn in a cameo role at the beginning. "Before Night Falls" is simply great movie of Schnabel, with strong Bardem's performance. Watch this biographical story about brave Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas, who had to pass through a hell just because he was different then others.

Sorry to say that, because I admire Bardem in any movie, as is the case here, too, but in my opinion the movie grazing avoids being in the scabrous gay porn category. I haven't read the memoirs of Arenas, nor have I read any of his work, but this movie doesn't play on his artistic views, but on his personal experiences in a time of political and social turmoil, combined with perhaps what hurt him most, gay discrimination. It's hard, watching the kind of personal life he led, to be sympathetic to the character of Arenas, not because he was homosexual, but because judging by this screening of his memoirs, it looks like the only thing on his mind was sex. Kinky, uninhibited sex. Nothing wrong with that, basically, but I believe some aspects of the personal life, like sexual preferences and habits, should remain private. I really didn't understand anything about him as an artist by watching this movie. Instead I saw the sexual frustration that haunted him, and a tad of his political views. I saw great performances by all, especially Bardem, Wincott and Depp, although the latter put himself in a quite tasteless light. I know the part, required it, but couldn't get the point of the whole endeavor.