7.4
Viewer Rating
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources
Before Night Falls (2000)
Before Night Falls (2000)
Overview
Spanning several decades, this powerful biopic offers a glimpse into the life of famed Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas, an artist who was vilified for his homosexuality in Fidel Castro's Cuba.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Rating & Dimensions
Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Progressive
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive
Trans: Positive
Viewer Rating
7.4
Overview
Spanning several decades, this powerful biopic offers a glimpse into the life of famed Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas, an artist who was vilified for his homosexuality in Fidel Castro's Cuba.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Detailed Bias Analysis
Analyzing...
Progressive
Primary
The film's dominant themes align with progressive values by portraying the persecution of a gay artist and the suppression of individual and artistic freedom under an authoritarian regime, emphasizing human rights and identity.
The movie features a diverse cast that accurately reflects its Cuban setting and the real-life individuals, particularly focusing on a gay protagonist. Its narrative explicitly critiques the oppressive state and its persecution of gay individuals and dissidents, making themes of sexual identity and freedom central to the story.
Secondary
Before Night Falls offers a profoundly empathetic and affirming portrayal of Reinaldo Arenas, an openly gay Cuban writer. It celebrates his identity and relationships, while powerfully critiquing the severe persecution he faced. Despite a tragic life and end, the film unequivocally affirms the worth of his LGBTQ+ life and art.
The film portrays transvestite characters, notably Lázaro Gómez Carriles, with dignity, complexity, and agency amidst severe state persecution. It empathetically highlights their resilience and the external nature of the obstacles they face, affirming the worth of their lives despite tragic circumstances.
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
The film is a biographical drama based on the life of Reinaldo Arenas. All significant historical figures and characters are portrayed on screen with their documented or established gender, without any instances of gender swapping.
The film is a biographical drama based on the autobiography of Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas. The main historical figures and characters are portrayed by actors whose race aligns with their documented historical or canonical background, with no instances of a character established as one race being depicted as another.
Viewer Rating Breakdown
User Ratings
7.1
6.6
Critic Ratings
7.4
8.5
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