Last Friday, I came into this event knowing little or nothing about the story or man behind Before Night Falls. As an individual who doesn’t typically watch biopics, watching Before Night Falls was definitely a different experience. One of the aspects of the film I admired most was the narrative style, which was captivating. The film’s director, Julien Schnabel, displays both the virtues and vices of Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas’s literary circle, and is able to carefully depict both the internal and external struggles Arenas faces in both coming to terms with his homosexuality and finding ways to openly live as a homosexual in Cuba. The plot itself isn’t what I found fascinating, but rather the way Schnabel was able to present these themes through his imagery-dense imagination and Arenas’s words. A second aspect of the film I found admirable was the acting of Javier Bardem. Through the coming-of-age storyline the film presents, Bardem does a fantastic job portraying the right emotions at the right time — be it the times of loneliness and pain or the times of maturity, strength, and defiance. As many critiques of the film have said, Bardem’s acting — an award winning “breakthrough” performance – definitely does justice to Reinaldo Arenas’s life story. A third aspect of the film that I found truly appreciated was the way that the film felt honest. Schnabel was not afraid to make the viewer feel uncomfortable or unsettled at times. This allowed certain scenes to carry their weight and allow readers to leave the film carrying an accurate perspective of Reinaldo Arenas’s story. I really recommend for people who haven’t watched the film to give it a chance!