Before Night Falls (2000)

The life of Cuban poet and novelist, Reinaldo Arenas.

Director:

Julian Schnabel

Writers:

Cunningham O'Keefe, Lázaro Gómez Carriles (as Lazaro Gomez Carriles)

Stars:

Javier Bardem, Johnny Depp, Olatz López Garmendia

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 15 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Olatz López Garmendia	...	Reinaldo's Mother (as Olatz Lopez Garmendia)
Giovani Florido	...	Young Reinaldo
Loló Navarro	...	Reinaldo's Grandmother
Batan Silva	...	Reinaldo's Father (as Sebastián Silva)
Carmen Beato	...	Teacher
Cy Schnabel	...	Smallest School Child (as Cy)
Olmo Schnabel	...	Smallest School Child
Vito Schnabel	...	Teenage Reinaldo (as Vito Maria Schnabel)
Pedro Armendáriz Jr.	...	Reinaldo's Grandfather (as Pedro Armendáriz)
Diego Luna	...	Carlos
Lia Chapman	...	Lolin
Sean Penn	...	Cuco Sanchez
Jerzy Skolimowski	...	Professor
Aquiles Benites	...	Translator
Ewa Piaskowska	...	Pretty Blonde Student

Storyline

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 letters for other inmates and smuggling out a novel. He befriends Lázaro Gomes Garriles, with whom he lives stateless and in poverty in Manhattan after leaving Cuba in the Mariel boat-lift. When asked why he writes, he replies cheerfully, "Revenge."

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Plot Keywords:

poet | novelist | gay | homosexual | cuban | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content, some language and brief violence

Details

Official Sites:

New Line

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish Russian French

Release Date:

23 February 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Antes que anochezca

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$85,230, 25 December 2000, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,221,817, 15 April 2001

Company Credits

Production Co:

El Mar Pictures, Grandview Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Set in Cuba, the film was made entirely in Mexico, with Veracruz doubling as Havana. Julian Schnabel said the crew was so pleasant to work with, that if he was making a film in the arctic, he would use a Mexican crew.

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Quotes

Reinaldo Arenas: [narrating] Leonardo da Vinci was homosexual, so was Michelangelo, Socrates, Shakespeare, and almost every other figure that has formed what we have come to understand as beauty.

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Alternate Versions

The UK version is cut by 18 secs to remove a shot of a live bird caught in a noose.

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Connections

Featured in The 2001 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (2001)

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Soundtracks

Los Tamalitos De Olga
Written by Jose A. Fajardo
Performed by Orquesta Aragon
Published by Peer International Corp.
Courtesy of Discos Revuelta SADECV

User Reviews

Evocative film-making

Evocative and moving story based on the life of Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas. The film has excellent acting from Javier Bardem (and smaller but equally excellent performances from Johnny Depp and Sean Penn), wonderful scenery and, most of all, powerful and moving snippets from the work of a novelist whose poetic powers can inspire and lift above the poverty of life or bring emotional poignancy to the depths. This is set in a country where, under Castro's rule, there is no "upper class" - and yet where brutal intolerance can be shown to any 'misfits'. Arenas happens to be homosexual, which is unacceptable, and his poetry extols natural beauty (which is, it seems, seen as counter-revolutionary). The writer survives torture and imprisonment but his works survive and the success of his novels prove an inspiration to him as he survives in abject conditions. The film is a bit slow to start, and occasionally meandering, but overall it provides a powerful piece of cinema.