Movie Review: Befoe Night Falls Story: I have been struggling with my Best and Worst list of 2000, but am happy to say that this one will immediately be added to my top 10. I loved this film and have not been able to stop thinking about it since I left the theater. Ex-painter turned writer and filmmaker Julian Schnabel (the wonderful Basquiat) brilliantly depicts the life of exiled Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas (1943 - 1990). Any romantic notions I had of the Castro revolution (and I admit to many) were dispelled by this haunting depiction of squelched artistic freedom in a repressive regime. The film is episodic and never gets bogged down in psychological analysis or banal detail. Schnabel's direction is like his own canvases. They are large, splattered with great color, gestures and texture. The story is sensory, poetic and completely different from any biopic I have ever seen. The film begins with Arenas' poetry as narration (and for once in a long while the narrator used in film actually works). Through incredible cinematography and directorial composition we are shown Arenas' childhood, the coming Cuban revolution, the discovery of his writing talent as a gift, the awareness of his homosexuality and Cuba depicted in the 50's as the Babylon that it was. (The film was actually shot in Mexico). The emancipation of self and his country are initially bountiful and joyous. Eventually he is imprisoned as a dissident and becomes part of the 1980 Marial boatlift to Miami. Suffering from Aids, he finally commits suicide in NYC in 1990. Incredibly, Schnabel nevers allows this subject matter to be depressing. It retains its sense of poetry through the artists' vision. He brilliantly directs sequences where action is occurring but he overdubs the scenes with lyrical and dreamy music as envisioned through the poets' eyes. I was mesmerized! I can't help but compare this energetic, original depiction of a struggling artist with the recently reviewed flat biopic on Jackson Pollack. There is no contest! Run to see this movie - it is stirring! Acting: Spanish actor Javier Bardem (already tapped for a Golden Globe) is magnificent. His body language and range of emotion is a pure triumph! Olivier Martinez as Lazaro is brilliantly understated. There is a wonderful supporting cast including a cameo by a barely recognizable Sean Penn and a dual role for Johnny Depp as both a transvestite and a police officer. Pets: Livestock and beasts of burden Food: Croquets, rice and beans. Visual Art: The whole film was a visual delight. Soundtrack: Fabulous Titles: There were no opening titles. The ending credits were very interesting in black and white with file footage of old Havana in the background. Notice all of the Schnabels in the cast. Theater Audience: The four of us and a lot of aging white men, most with earrings. Quirky Meter: 5 Oscar Worthy: Absolutely! Nit Picking: The only thing that was slightly disturbing were the heavy accents from many of the characters. I generally got most of the language but I wanted to hear every word and was unable to, Big Screen or Rental: Big screen a must! Length: 2 hours and 5 minutes. LOBO HOWLS: 9.25