Before Night Falls (2000)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Julian Schnabel

Writers:

Cunningham O'Keefe (written by) &
Lázaro Gómez Carriles (written by) ...

Release Date:

26 January 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

Episodic look at the life of Cuban poet and novelist, Reinaldo Arenas (1943-1990), from his childhood...

Plot Keywords:

Novelist | Letter | Cuba | Prison | Male Frontal Nudity

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 11 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Olatz López Garmendia	...	Reinaldo's Mother (as Olatz Lopez Garmendia)
Giovanni Florido	...	Young Reinaldo (as Giovani Florido)
Loló Navarro	...	Reinaldo's Grandmother
Sebastián Silva	...	Reinaldo's Father
Carmen Beato	...	Teacher
Cy Schnabel	...	Smallest School Child (as Cy)
Olmo Schnabel	...	Smallest School Child
Vito Maria Schnabel	...	Teenage Reinaldo
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
Eva Piaskowska	...	Pretty Blonde Student

Also Known As:

Antes que anochezca (USA: Spanish title)

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

133 min | South Korea:123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | Russian | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

New Zealand:R13 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | UK:15 (cut) | Portugal:M/16 | Canada:14A (Ontario - 2006) | Finland:K-15 (2007) (self applied) (TV rating) | Finland:K-18 (2006) (self applied) (TV rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Chile:18 | France:U | Peru:18 | Singapore:R(A) | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | South Korea:15 (cut)

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Company:

El Mar Pictures

Trivia:

Almost every scene, according to Guillermo Rosas, was photographed with a chocolate-colored filter on the camera lens. The contributed a great deal to distinctive colors and textures in the film, especially the skin tones, and the vibrancy in green hues.

Quotes:

Reinaldo Arenas: My name, for the moment, is Reinaldo Arenas.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

Conoci La Paz

**** 1/2 Stunning

Gorgeous adaptation of Reinaldo Arenas' best-selling autobiography of the same name. Javier Bardem gives a towering performance as Arenas, the famous Cuban poet who found himself constantly in a state of being unwanted by the world around him, and yet still full of the ability to see the beauty in it. Using stock footage of Castro's military-ruled Cuba, a haunting score by Carter Burwell (with Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson), and many cameos by famous actors (Sean Penn being the only one that really misfires, Michael Wincott being an exceptionally good one), director Julian Schanbel has created one of the most touching, affecting and polished film works of the whole year. Johnny Depp stands out in a small role dressed completely in drag (and he's gorgeous!)