# Before Night Falls (2000)

### reviewed by
Steve Rhodes

    BEFORE NIGHT FALLS
    A film review by Steve Rhodes
    Copyright 2001 Steve Rhodes
    RATING (0 TO ****):  **

BEFORE NIGHT FALLS, based on the memoirs of the same name, tells the story of Reinaldo Arenas (Javier Bardem), a gay, Cuban poet. Perhaps "story" is too strong a word. As directed by painter Julian Schnabel, whose only other movie was the also overrated BASQUIAT, BEFORE NIGHT FALLS is more a collection of half-formed images than any kind of a proper story. Spanning Reinaldo's entire life, it never creates a single fully formed character.

When the ending credits finally roll, all we know for sure about Reinaldo is that he was gay, persecuted and mother-fixated. There are only hints of his literary skills. The film suffers almost exactly the same problem as FINDING FORRESTER, the other recent movie about a writer. Both movies spend enormous effort on side issues, while never bothering to give us examples of the writer's work product until the very end. In both cases, all we get is the briefest of excerpts. BEFORE NIGHT FALLS spends considerable time convincing us that Reinaldo is gay just as FINDING FORRESTER works hard to show us what a dedicated basketball player their writer is.

Sean Penn and Johnny Depp lend their names to the picture by turning in some nice cameos. See if you can recognize them. The rest of the supporting cast isn't the least bit memorable.

Schnabel makes some unusual and frequently unsuccessful choices. The movie is mainly in English, but, capriciously and sporadically, the characters begin to speak Spanish with English subtitles. His use of grainy archival footage is the most successful as it gives the movie more authenticity than any of the acting. The picture's lead, Javier Bardem, keeps the same withdrawn look throughout. His lack of energy and the director's languid pacing make for tedious viewing.

We are reminded of Castro's persecution of anyone deemed counter-revolutionary, such as writers or homosexuals, of which Reinaldo was both. One potentially harrowing event is Reinaldo's unsuccessful attempt to float to Florida in an inner tube. Schnabel, however, doesn't have a clue as to how to stage this. One minute Reinaldo is leaving, and the next has him back again. Boy, that was dramatic. The only interesting part is one camera angle taken from the inner tube's viewpoint.

The movie is filled with lost opportunities. One political propaganda billboard reads "Duty Begins When Friendship Ends." Rather than build on the indoctrination issue, the story tosses it out and then drops it. Similarly, we have a quasi-trial in which one poet is forced to confess to his poetry "crimes" against the state. But after showing it, this isn't properly developed either.

What we are left with are some wonderful images and a terrific and eclectic score that includes the adagio from Mahler's 5th -- always a good choice. My favorite of the visuals involves an escape effort by hot air balloon. As the balloon rises from the ruins of an abandoned and roofless church, we get the aerial view of a would-be political refugee fleeing the ravages of communism. But, like most escapes, it fails. The movie is like that. Lots of good images surrounding a failed attempt at storytelling.

BEFORE NIGHT FALLS runs a long 2:13. Part of the film is in Spanish with English subtitles. It is rated R for strong sexual content, some language and brief violence and would be acceptable for high school seniors and older.

Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com

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