Mrs. Arenas Production Julian Schnabel got the idea of making Before Night Falls immediately after making Basquiat; however, it took four years to actually produce the film. Bardem spent one-and-a-half months in New York City with Arenas's best friend, Lazaro Gomez Carriles, taking two hours a day to study how Arenas walked and talked. Reception Critical response On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 73% approval rating based on 98 reviews and an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's consensus states: "An impressionistic, fragmented look at Reinaldo Arenas, Before Night Falls imagery manages to evoke a sense of the writer's artistry, and Bardem's strong performance holds the film together. Finally, a biopic done well." Metacritic reports an 85 out of 100 rating based on 26 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, stating, "One is reminded a little of the Marquis de Sade, as portrayed in Quills. It was never simply what they wrote, but that, standing outside convention, taunting the authorities, inhabiting impossible lives, they wrote at all." Peter Travers from Rolling Stone awarded the film a full five out of five stars, writing, "In uniting to honor Arenas, Bardem and Schnabel create something extraordinary." Box office The film opened in eight venues on December 22, 2000, and earned $85,230 in its first weekend, ranking #34 in the North American box office. The film received a wide release on February 23, 2001. Before Night Falls grossed $4.2 million in the US and $4.3 million overseas for a worldwide total of $8.5 million from an estimated $20 million budget. Accolades Notes References External links 2000 films 2000 romantic drama films 2000 LGBT-related films 2000 biographical drama films American biographical drama films American independent films American LGBT-related films American romantic drama films French-language American films 2000s Russian-language films Spanish-language American films Biographical films about writers Films based on autobiographies Films set in Cuba Films set in New York (state) Films set in the 1950s Films set in the 1960s Films set in the 1970s Films set in the 1980s Films shot in Mexico Films shot in New York (state) Venice Grand Jury Prize winners Films scored by Carter Burwell Films directed by Julian Schnabel Gay-related films Biographical films about poets 2000 independent films Films produced by Jon Kilik 2000s English-language films 2000s American films