'Before Night Falls' is an absolutely and utterly gorgeous film. It is a biography of Reinaldo Arenas - a gay Cuban novelist and charts his life. It began in poverty in rural Cuba, leading into the Cuban revolution. The film is well produced, acting is of a good standard and the story has to be believed - the pain of him having first been so supportive of the revolution which eventually led to him having to leave his country to escape persecution.
The issues the film leaves you with - of equality, and it's lacking and how this affected his life are still just as real today. As is the general impression of how revolutions can turn so sour, oppressing those who originally supported them.
This film represents everything I love and everything that I hate and it does so with remarkable ease.
I would recommend this film to anyone who has the chance to see it, unfortunately most cinemas won't show it as it's a small, 'alternative' production.
Also, just to give you an indication of how good the film is the lead, Javier Bardam was nominated for an Oscar. The film itself was also named one of the 10 best flms of 2000 by the National Board of Review, among many other things.
Oh, and it also stars Johnny Depp which alone ought to be enough for some.
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Before Night Falls [2001]
Based on the posthumously published memoir by Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas, Before Night
... more
Falls is artist-director Julian Schnabel's second exercise in artist biography, but where Schnabel's earlier film Basquiat was relatively conventional, this film is ...
Before Night Falls [2001]
Based on the posthumously published memoir by Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas,Before Night
... more
Fallsis artist-director Julian Schnabel's second exercise in artist biography, but where Schnabel's earlier filmBasquiatwas relatively conventional, this film is bold...
![Before Night Falls [2001]](http://picnic.ciao.com/uk/65509662.jpg)
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