| Overall Grade: |
A- |
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| Story: |
B |
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| Acting: |
A+ |
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| Direction: |
B+ |
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| Visuals: |
B+ |
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An All Star Cast... the shocks!
by q (movies profile)
May 19, 2007
3
of
4 people found this review helpful
Johnny Depp , Sean Penn and Javier Bardem (COLLATERAL), star in this erotic and political film about a Cuban poet who rebeled against Castro before coming to the States.
Charting the life of Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas, we see his gradual progress from childhood to sexual experimentation as a teenager to an all out rebel as an adult.
Mixing comedy and political commentary the director has still managed to make a dark film based on a true story, that is sometimes entertaining but sometimes difficult to watch.
Unfortunately it is hard to feel any sympathy for the main character although his life inside communist Cuba is interesting (albiet one sided and fiercely pro-american) but the performances are excellent.
Before Night Fallls does get very very surreal at times: most notebly the way Johnny Depp actually plays two different characters in this film..., the weird spontanious orgy on the beach with the Communist soldiers and the attempted escape from Cuba using an air ballon.
I have the warn you that this film is surprising sexually explicit at times, and because of this may become a little diffcult to stomach (fans of Depp beware of the prison guard scene, you will either be very turned on, or very disgusted!!!)
The ending was depressing and I felt spoilt the rest of the film. Here I believe the director only achieved in making Reinaldo Arenas life look pointless after all he had gone through instead of a triumph.
Nevertheless if you want to see something daring and different from the usual Hollywood stuff watch this film and be educated and informed. |
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