I must admit I had never heard of Reinaldo Arenas, but it doesn't matter. Before Night Falls is a good movie by any measure. Not just in the gay interest or biopic niche, and not only because it exposes the brutal oppression in Castro's Cuba to anyone still naive enough to deny it. A step up from Schnabel's nice debut Basquiat, but surpassed somewhat by The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Before Night Falls features a great performance from Javier Bardem.

Solid biopic hampered by some rough pacing and some disjointed scenes. Nice blend of humanist and fantastical elements.

Ambitious and daring, but incredibly frustrating at times with a final quarter which drags when it should be working up to a knock-out punch. Bardem's shattering performance and exquisite cinematography are definite highlights; peculiar indulgences (Depp as two unrelated (?) characters and unrecognisable Penn in a cameo) plus a generally disjointed narrative are detriments. A mixed bag to be sure, but worth seeing for the elements that might have formed greatness with a little more discipline.

Gorgeously filmed, touchingly acted, and sad. I'm not sure why I don't love it more than I do . . . maybe because his writing itself doesn't grab me.