Before Night Falls has the amazing Javier Bardem, but has a pacing problem that gets in the way of a riveting story. I blame the director, Julian Schnabel, who did not really hit his emotional stride until The Diving Bell and the Butterfly regardless of what critics say about Basquiat and this film. This artist coming of age story during an oppressive regime allegedly occurs during a sexual revolution, but it feels mostly sexless. For example, when I later found out that a character was actually Arenas’ lover and not just a friend, it made more sense than the film depiction. When Arenas finally gets in trouble, the film makes it seem more like a misunderstanding than systematic oppression. Why does Johnny Depp play two characters? I was happy to see him, but it really took me out of the movie unlike Sean Penn’s cameo. I wish that Before Night Falls was entirely in Spanish instead of switching between English and Spanish. Schnabel ultimately failed to fully depict this artist fully–he perfectly depicted the creative process and the desire to be heard, but failed to portray the flesh behind the spirit.