Before Night Falls
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJulian Schnabel
Screenplay by
  • Lázaro Gómez Carriles
  • Cunningham O'Keefe
  • Julian Schnabel
Based on
Produced byJon Kilik
Starring
Cinematography
  • Xavier Pérez Grobet
  • Guillermo Rosas
Edited byMichael Berenbaum
Music byCarter Burwell
Production
company
Grandview Pictures[1]
Distributed byFine Line Features[1]
Release dates
  • September 3, 2000 (2000-09-03) (VIFF)
  • September 14, 2000 (2000-09-14) (TIFF)
  • December 22, 2000 (2000-12-22) (United States)
Running time
133 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States[1]
LanguageEnglish[1]
Budget$20 million[2]
Box office$8.5 million[3]

Before Night Falls is a 2000 American biographical drama directed by Julian Schnabel. The film is based on both the autobiography of the same name by Reinaldo Arenas—published in English in 1993[4]—as well as Jana Boková's 1990 documentary Havana.

The screenplay was co-written by Schnabel, Lázaro Gómez Carriles and Cunningham O'Keefe. The film stars Javier Bardem (his international film debut, and who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor), Johnny Depp, Olivier Martinez, Andrea Di Stefano, Santiago Magill and Michael Wincott. The film had its world premiere at the 2000 Venice International Film Festival.[1]

Plot

In the film, Arenas is born in Oriente Province in Cuba in 1943 and raised by his single mother and her parents, who soon move the entire family to Holguín. After moving to Havana in the 1960s to continue his studies, Reinaldo begins to explore his ambitions, as well as his sexuality. After receiving an honorary mention in a writing contest, Arenas is 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 manages to find himself.

The political climate in Cuba becomes increasingly dangerous, and in the early 1970s Arenas is arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting minors, and for publishing abroad without official consent. In the next decade, he is in and out of prison, attempting and failing to leave the country several times.

In 1980, Arenas finally leaves Cuba for the United States, starting a new life with his close friend Lazaro Gomez Carriles. A few years later, Arenas is diagnosed with AIDS, and after spending several years suffering he dies in 1990.

Cast

Production

Julian Schnabel got the idea of making Before Night Falls immediately after making Basquiat; however, it took four years to actually produce the film.[5]

Bardem spent one-and-a-half months in New York City with Arenas's best friend, Lazaro Gomez Carriles, taking two hours a day to study how Arenas walked and talked.[6]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 73% approval rating based on 98 reviews and an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's consensus states: "An impressionistic, fragmented look at Reinaldo Arenas, Before Night Falls' imagery manages to evoke a sense of the writer's artistry, and Bardem's strong performance holds the film together. Finally, a biopic done well."[7] Metacritic reports an 85 out of 100 rating based on 26 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[8]

Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, stating, "One is reminded a little of the Marquis de Sade, as portrayed in Quills. It was never simply what they wrote, but that, standing outside convention, taunting the authorities, inhabiting impossible lives, they wrote at all."[9] Peter Travers from Rolling Stone awarded the film a full five out of five stars, writing, "In uniting to honor Arenas, Bardem and Schnabel create something extraordinary."[10]

Box office

The film opened in eight venues on December 22, 2000, and earned $85,230 in its first weekend, ranking #34 in the North American box office.[11] The film received a wide release on February 23, 2001.[12]

Before Night Falls grossed $4.2 million in the US and $4.3 million overseas for a worldwide total of $8.5 million[3] from an estimated $20 million budget.[2]

Accolades

Award Category Nominee(s) Result
Academy Awards[13] Best Actor Javier Bardem Nominated
ALMA Awards Outstanding Feature Film Nominated
Outstanding Latino Cast in a Feature Film Nominated
Outstanding Soundtrack or Compilation for Television and Film Nominated
American Film Institute Awards[14] Top 10 Movies of the Year Won
Awards Circuit Community Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role Javier Bardem Nominated
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards[15] Best Actor 2nd Place
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards[16] Best Actor Nominated
Chlotrudis Awards[17] Best Actor Nominated
GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Film – Limited Release Nominated
Golden Globe Awards[18] Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Javier Bardem Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards[19] Best Feature Nominated
Best Director Julian Schnabel Nominated
Best Male Lead Javier Bardem Won
Best Cinematography Xavier Pérez Grobet and Guillermo Rosas Nominated
Latin ACE Awards Cinema – Best Actor Javier Bardem Won
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards[20] Best Actor Runner-up
National Board of Review Awards[21] Top 10 Films 6th Place
Best Actor Javier Bardem Won
Freedom of Expression Won
National Society of Film Critics Awards[22] Best Actor Javier Bardem Won
New York Film Critics Circle Awards[23] Best Actor Runner-up
Online Film & Television Association Awards[24] Best Actor Nominated
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated
Political Film Society Awards Exposé Won
Human Rights Nominated
Russian Guild of Film Critics Awards Best Foreign Actor Javier Bardem Nominated
SESC Film Festival Best Foreign Actor (Audience Award) Won
Best Foreign Actor (Critics Award) Won
Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards[25] Best Actor Won[lower-alpha 1]
Venice International Film Festival[26] Golden Lion Julian Schnabel Nominated
Grand Jury Prize Won
OCIC Award – Honorable Mention Won
Best Actor Javier Bardem Won
Rota Soundtrack Award Carter Burwell Won
World Soundtrack Awards[27] Soundtrack Composer of the Year Nominated
Best Original Score of the Year Nominated

Notes

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Before Night Falls". American Film Institute. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Before Night Falls". TheWrap. Archived from the original on 2017-04-01. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Before Night Falls (2000)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  4. ↑ Before Night Falls cinetropic.com.
  5. ↑ Director Interview Jan-April 2001.
  6. ↑ "US". Independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on March 24, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Before Night Falls". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Before Night Falls reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Before Night Falls Movie Review (2001)". Ebert, Roger. February 2, 2001.
  10. ↑ "Before Night Falls - Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. June 4, 2001.
  11. ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results for December 22-25, 2000". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. December 26, 2000.
  12. ↑ "Before Night Falls (2000) - Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  13. ↑ "The 73rd Academy Awards (2001) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  14. ↑ "AFI Awards 2000". Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  15. ↑ "BSFC Winners: 2000s". Boston Society of Film Critics. 27 July 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  16. ↑ "1988-2013 Award Winner Archives". Chicago Film Critics Association. January 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  17. ↑ "8th Annual Chlotrudis Awards". Chlotrudis Society for Independent Films. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Before Night Falls – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  19. ↑ "36 Years of Nominees and Winners" (PDF). Independent Spirit Awards. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  20. ↑ "The 26th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards". Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  21. ↑ "2000 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Past Awards". National Society of Film Critics. 19 December 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  23. ↑ "2000 New York Film Critics Circle Awards". New York Film Critics Circle. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  24. ↑ "5th Annual Film Awards (2000)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  25. ↑ "2000 SEFA Awards". sefca.net. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  26. ↑ Awards nytimes.com.
  27. ↑ "World Soundtrack Awards". World Soundtrack Awards. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
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