Before Night Falls traces Arenas' life from his poor childhood, playing in the dirt, to getting a job in a library, entering writing competitions, getting published, discovering his homosexuality, fighting censorship, and going to jail. Bardem more than lives up to his task in portraying the author. His rugged looks and passionate eyes convey chapters even when the film fails to. Director Schnabel is unable to find a connecting thread for all of these episodes in the film and perhaps puts too much of that weight on Bardem. After about 90 minutes, the film feels as if it's beginning to wind down.
Every scene plays out like a possible ending to the film, but then another scene starts.
This goes on for 50 more minutes. One false ending after another really throws an audience off and jeopardizes the film's emotional truth. I do have to credit Schnabel with the quality of acting in the film. Besides Bardem, Olivier Martinez are Andrea di Stefano outstanding. Moreover, Johnny Depp and Sean Penn are excellent in small roles.