In uniting to honor Arenas, Bardem and Schnabel create something extraordinary.

Clearly this is Bardem's show. And Bardem walks away with it.

It's a struggle not just to make art but to exist, which is itself an art. And to that goal, the cast members, led by the astonishing Bardem, allow themselves to be devoured by the roles they are playing.

Before Night Falls places its themes of sexual tolerance and freedom of expression in a context that interestingly emphasizes the activities themselves without ever muting the underlying messages.