Before Night Falls

” My name for the moment is Reinaldo Arenas. I am an exiled Cuban writer. I live in New York City. I write and I survive. I am not religious, I am homosexual and at the same time anti-Castro. I meet all the conditions of never publishing a single novel. “

– Reinaldo Arenas

Based on the memoir published posthumously, Before Night Falls is a biographical film of Cuban poet and writer Reinaldo Arenas. However the screenplay is based on several of Arenas’ other works like Singing From the Well and The Hallucinations.

In an episodic way of narrated events, this film shows the pheasant childhood and impoverished youth of the poet, an ardent celebrant of the revolution ( “Long Live Fidel! Viva Fidel!”), and later conflict with the Castro regime due to his writing and homosexuality, subsequent imprisonment and exile to New York City in 1980, followed by Arenas’ struggle with AIDS and eventual suicide (aged forty seven) in 1990.

Directed by artist-director Julian Schnabel who is the master of portraying biographies of artists on the silver screen, this second film of his is nonetheless an example of his excellence like his other works. His cinema is like poetry on silver screen. With beautiful cinematography and editing, the director has successfully presented Reinaldo’s life and work in a graceful manner.

Javier Bardem who has played Reinaldo Arenas has undoubtedly done a wonderful job. He looks like he has absorbed each nuance of the poet’s life, and in the same way he has executed his skills, and thus this Spanish actor went on to receive a nomination for an Academy Award for best actor. Among other supporting casts, cameo of Johnny Depp (in dual roles) as drag queen Bon-Bon who helps Arenas to smuggle his writings out of prison and Lieutenant Victor overseeing the prison, have been quite a showcase of Depp’s versatile acting. Olivier Martinez who played as Lazaro has also been effective in his short role.

With the slight feel of a documentary (and indeed, showing some archival footages), this film is sometimes unpleasant because of its stark realism. Nevertheless, it is a thought-provoking, poignant drama and yet a beautiful example of real cinema. Overall it is a worth watch.

(Written for Pink Pages)