Before Night Falls

Director: Julian Schnabel
Writer Screenplay: Cunningham O’Keefe
Lázaro Gómez Carriles
Julian Schnabel
Writer Memoir: Reynaldo Arenas
Release Date: 26 January 2001
Rated R

 

Cast:

Javier Bardem as Reinaldo Arenas
Olivier Martinez as Lazaro Gomez Carilles
Andrea Di Stefano as Pepe Malas
Santiago Magill as Tomas Diego
John Ortiz as Juann Abreu
Héctor Babenco as Virgilio Pinera
Manuel González as Jose Lezama Lima
Francisco Gattorno as Jorge Camacho
Marisol Padilla Sánchez as Margarita Camacho
Johnny Depp as Bon Bon & Lt. Victor
Michael Wincott as Herberto Zorilla Ochoa
Sean Penn as Cuco Sanchez

 

Before Night Falls is based on the autobiography of the same name by Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas. Arenas, who was openly gay, was born in Oriente in 1943 and raised by his single mother and grandparents who soon moved the entire family to Holguín. After moving to Havana in the sixties to continue his studies, Reinaldo started exploring his sexuality and ambitions. After finishing second in a writing contest, Arenas gets offered the chance to publish his first work. Through his work and friendships with other openly gay men (such as Pepe Malas and Tomas Diego), Arenas managed to find himself.

However, the political climate in Cuba continued to become increasingly dangerous and in the early seventies Arenas is arrested for sexually assaulting minors (a crime he was not guilty of) and publishing abroad without official consent. In the next decade Arenas keeps going in and out of prison, attempting to leave the country several times but failing each time.

In 1980, Arenas is finally able to leave Cuba for the US where he starts a new life with his close friend and lover Lazaro Gomez Carilles. However, after a few years, Arenas finds out he is suffering from AIDS. After spending several years in sickness he eventually dies in 1990 with help from Lazaro.

Trivia:

Set in Cuba, the film was made entirely in Mexico, with Mexico City 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.

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.

The director’s wife plays Javier Bardem’s mother. All of Schnabel’s children have bit roles as well.

Awards:

2000: Venice International Film Festival: Silver Lion – Jury’s special award: Julian Schnabel
2000: Venice International Film Festival: Coppa Volpi (Best Actor): Javier Bardem
2000: National Board of Review Award for Best Actor:Best Actor: Javier Bardem
2000: National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
2000: National Board of Review Awards: Freedom of Expression
2000: Political Film Society Award for Exposé
2000: Independent Spirit Awards: Best Actor: Javier Bardem

 

 

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