Before Night Falls (2001)
84%RT Audience Score: 84%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
15 wins & 23 nominations total
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
Before Night Falls” is a movie that will make you laugh, cry, and question everything you thought you knew about life. With an incredible performance by Javier Bardem, this biopic tells the story of a writer who refused to let politics and society break his spirit. The witty double-casting of Johnny Depp adds an extra layer of fun to the film. While some critics found it tedious and pointless, I found it to be a masterpiece that will stay with me for a long time. Don’t miss out on this extraordinary movie!
Production Company(ies)
Jigsaw Productions, Wider Film Projects Below The Radar Entertainment,
Distributor
El Mar Pictures, Keyfilms Roma, Lolafilms Distribución, United King Films, Grandview, Fine Line Features
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong sexual content, some language and brief violence
Year of Release
2001
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 12m
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Language(s):English, Spanish, Russian, French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 26, 2001 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 22, 2001
Genre(s)
Drama/LGBTQ+
Keyword(s)
Before Night Falls, drama, LGBTQ+, 2h 12m, Javier Bardem, directed by Julian Schnabel, written by Reynaldo Arenas, Lázaro Gómez Carriles, Cunningham O’Keefe, Jon Kilik produced, R MPAA rating, box office gross $4.2M, Dolby SR sound mix, Reinaldo Arenas, Olivier Martinez, Andrea Di Stefano, Johnny Depp, Sean Penn, Michael Wincott starring, reviewed by Kimberley Jones, Neil Smith, Peter Travers, Jay Boyar, Michael O’Sullivan, Rita Kempley, Elizabeth Richardson, Jan Stuart, Austin Kennedy, Emanuel Levy, Nick Rogers, drama, LGBTQ+, English original language, El Mar Pictures, Keyfilms Roma, Lolafilms Distribución, United King Films, Grandview, Fine Line Features distributor, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround sound mix
Worldwide gross: $8,601,053
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $14,495,255
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,838
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,580,726
US/Canada gross: $4,242,892
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $7,150,497
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,706
US/Canada opening weekend: $85,230
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $143,637
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,803
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Olivier Martinez – Lazaro Gomez Carilles
Andrea Di Stefano – Pepe Malas
Johnny Depp – Bon Bon, Lieutenant Victor
Sean Penn – Cuco Sanchez
Michael Wincott – Herberto Zorilla Ochoa
Director(s)
Julian Schnabel
Writer(s)
Reynaldo Arenas, Lázaro Gómez Carriles, Cunningham O’Keefe, Julian Schnabel
Producer(s)
Jon Kilik
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
15 wins & 23 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (100) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (74) | Rotten (26)
March 10, 2003 | Rating: 4.5/5
Kimberley Jones
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
June 11, 2001 | Rating: 3/5
Neil Smith
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
In uniting to honor Arenas, Bardem and Schnabel create something extraordinary.
June 4, 2001 | Rating: 5/5
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
TOP CRITIC
Clearly this is Bardem’s show. And Bardem walks away with it.
March 12, 2001
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
It’s a struggle not just to make art but to exist, which is itself an art. And to that goal, the cast members, led by the astonishing Bardem, allow themselves to be devoured by the roles they are playing.
February 23, 2001
Michael O’Sullivan
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Though Schnabel’s first picture, Basquiat, was notable for its excess and self-indulgence, the filmmaker shows restraint and maturity in this moving depiction of Arenas’s life and loves.
February 23, 2001
Rita Kempley
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Schnabel’s heartbreaking movie boasts an Oscar-caliber performance by Javier Bardem as Arenas and a pair of extraordinary cameos by Johnny Depp.
May 27, 2022
Elizabeth Richardson
Out Magazine
Director Schnabel makes all the right moves, not the least of which is the witty double-casting of Johnny Depp.
April 19, 2022
Jan Stuart
The Advocate
This could have been a compelling movie about a wonderful writer, but instead it’s a tedious, pointless mess. After spending over 2 hours with Arenas, I still knew nothing about him. Javier Bardem’s great performance seemed to be a complete waste.
May 10, 2013 | Rating: 1.5/4
Austin Kennedy
Film Geek Central
One of the first features about Castro’s impact on artists and homosexuals, this biopic is well acted by Bardem
April 30, 2011 | Rating: B
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
“Before Night Falls” exuberantly portrays a writer whose legacy remains an acutely observant childhood spirit that no perversion of politics could break. Javier Bardem blends the swagger of Robert Downey Jr. and the brooding of a young Al Pacino.
September 25, 2010 | Rating: 4/4
Nick Rogers
The Film Yap
August 7, 2008 | Rating: 2/5
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review…
Plot
Before Night Falls is a biopic about the life of Cuban author and exile Reinaldo Arenas, from his childhood and early embrace of the Revolution to his persecution as a writer and homosexual in Castro’s Cuba, his departure from Cuba in the Mariel Harbor exodus of 1980, and his exile and death in the United States.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Javier Bardem’s performance in Before Night Falls is described as “radiant” and “astonishing” by an audience reviewer.
Julian-Schnabel.jpg
