Before Night Falls

Before Night Falls
2002

"The story of Cuban poet-novelist Reinaldo Arenas"

Directed by: Julian Schnabel
Starring:
Javier Bardem - Reinaldo Arenas
Olivier Martinez - Lazaro Gomez Carriles
Andrea Di Stefano - Pepe Malas
Johnny Depp - Bon Bon/Lieutenant Victor
Michael Wincott - Herberto Zorrilla Ochoa
Olatz Lopez Garmendia - Reynaldo's Mother
Giovanni Florido - Young Reynaldo
Sean Penn - Cuco Snchez
Diego Luna - Carlos

Reinaldo Arenas biografia........

Based on the memoirs of gay Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas Before Night Falls is a consummate study in how creativity flourishes under the most oppressive conditions. Oscar nominated Javier Bardem gives an amazing performance. We are shown the poets life from his childhood until his untimely death from AIDS at the age of 47. In-between he suffers discrimination and imprisonment under Castros regime; finally escaping to live out his life in New York City.

Most of the movie he is an underground writer who, with the help of friends, smuggles his books to France where they are published. Incredibly poor as a child he is given help by wealthy people he meets who recognize his natural talent for writing.






He gets a job in a library and becomes involved with the charismatic but disloyal Pepe. Later he is betrayed by Pepe and spends time behind bars. Nothing, however, stifles his desire to write. Like so many others before him, Oscar Wilde and The Marquis De Sade to name two, the time in jail only increases his determination to write.




Beautifully filmed and appropriately poetic in style Before Night Falls manages to uplift through its tragic story of the human spirit prevailing over adversity. Javier Bardem never falls into the trap of showing Reinaldo as super human. He is simply a man with a mission, complete with fears and limitations but never short on hope and whimsy. For the record he should have won the Oscar.
Johnny Depp and Sean Penn both have small roles as men he meets on his journey. Still this is a one-man show from beginning to end and it is never boring. Bravo Javier!!!



Javier Bardem does do a great job in the lead role, carrying the movie from beginning to end. However, the movie as a whole isnt as good as his performance. It runs long and could have been trimmed to allow the pace of the story to unfold quicker. There are too many scenes of life in Cuba that help with the atmosphere, but do little to help the plot.

The greatest overriding emotion the movie carries is sadness. Reinaldo, while finding joy as a young man when he is just beginning to write and discover himself, endures imprisonment and tragedy throughout most of the rest of his life. Revered as an artist, he is never allowed to live a life of freedom or luxury. Even after his escape to America, his life is still one of poverty and deprivation.

And the tragedy of his death so soon after finding the artistic freedom he so long sought is heart wrenching.
As a character study of an artist and as an example of how oppressive societies can bring out the greatest works of art while trying to crush and control its people, Before Night Falls works. As an entertaining movie, it falls short.

Javier Bardem

Javier Bardem is the son and grandson of actors, part of a long dynasty famous both in cinema and theatre. With 16 films to his credit, he has worked with the most important Span ish directors and will soon be seen in The Dancer Upstairs (Pasos de baile), the directorial debut of John Malkovich.

He first achieved international success for his work in J'Amon, j'Amon (1992) by JJ Bigas Luna, receiving a Best Actor Award from the Spanish Actors Union, Fotogramas, and the Saint Jordi award. The following year, Bardem was presented a Special Award by the jury of the San Sebastian Film Festival. In 1994, he followed with the Fernando Rey Award and ones from the Spanish Actors Union, the Punta del Este Festival in Uruguay, and San Sebastian.

Bardem won his first Goya (Spanish Academy Award) in 1995 for best supporting actor for his performance in Imanol Uribe's Dias contados. A year later, he received the Best Actor Goya for Boca a boca (Mouth to Mouth), directed by Manuel Gbmez Pereira. In 1998 the Berlin Film Festival gave Bardem the Public's Award for Best European Actor, for his work in Perdita Duran go. He was also recognized by Fotogramas that same year for his performance in Live Flesh (Came tremula), which marked his second collaboration with Pedro Almoddvar, after 1991's High Heels (Tacones Lejanos). Bardem's performance in Live Flesh also earned him a third Goya nomination as well as the Audience Award for Best Actor at the European Film Awards. He won the Best Actor Award (the Volpi Cup) at the Venice Film Festival for his performance as Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls.

Olivier Martinez

Biography
Olivier Martinez has been called the most promising French actor since Gérard Depardieu. His acting career came entirely by accident. After a series of dead-end jobs and with no foreseeable future, he accompanied a friend to an audition and was bitten by the acting bug.

After schooling at France's Conservatoire National Superieur d'Art Dramatique, Martinez leapt from theatre to television and then to films.
His first role was co-starring with Yves Montand in Jean-Jacques Beineix' IP5: L'île aux pachydermes (1992)
.Martinez won a César for his next film role in Bertrand Blier's 1993 drama 1, 2, 3, Soleil opposite Marcello Mastroianni.
His other acting credits include Jean-Paul Rappeneau's Horseman on the Roof, The (1995)} with [Juliette Binoche, Bertrand Blier's Mon Homme (1996), J. J. Bigas Luna's Chambermaid on the Titanic, The (1997), Eric Barbier's Toreros (2000) with Claude Brasseur and Mario Camus' The Town of the Proteges.


Andrea Di Stefano

Date and place of birth: 15 Decembers 1972, Rome, Italy
The young has moved to New York in order to study to the Actor' s Study, the school where they are you form the best talents to you of the cinema American. For its optimal scenica presence and the magnetic look, Mark Bellocchio has it chosen com protagonist de the prince of Homburg.


The ghost of the work has been then the time of Dario Argento for its. Therefore it has worked in Before that it is night, with to Javier Bardem, in the role of the friend of the Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas. Before Angela (2002) it has recited in Almost Blue, dov' he was a policeman to the hunting of a dangerous omidica, and in Hotel of Mike Figgis. Its successive test to the cinema has been the dressed one from spouse.

Johnny Depp

BIOGRAPHY
Born: 9 June 1963
Where: Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
Awards: 2 Oscar, 2 BAFTA and 5 Golden Globe nominations
Height: 5' 10"

It's been a bizarre and bumpy road for Johnny Depp. He tried to be a rock star, only to see his band split. He moved into serious acting, only to have his credibility destroyed by accidentally becoming a teen pin-up. Then, defying his idol-status, he threw himself into the cinematic underground and slowly, slowly proved himself to be one of the most adventurous and genuinely bohemian actors of his generation.

He was born John Christopher Depp II on June 9th, 1963, in Owensboro, Kentucky - the self-styled "barbecue capital of the world". His father, John Senior, was a city engineer, and his mother, Betty Sue, a waitress. He was always very close to his mother, but perhaps even closer to his grandfather, who he knew as Pawpaw (Depp himself was known as Dipp or Deppity Dawg). He'd visit Pawpaw often, and happily recalls sunny days picking tobacco together. It was a terrible shock to the seven-year-old boy when Pawpaw died.

Also traumatic was the family's move to Florida soon afterwards. John Senior did eventually find secure work as director of public works at Miramar, but the family spent a long time living in motels and were constantly shifting from place to place - well over a dozen in total. It was bad for the older kids - daughters Debbie and Christie (now Johnny's personal manager), and brother Danny (known as DP, now a screenwriter) - but Johnny took it especially hard.

Though an inquisitive child - at 8 he was hugely interested in Evel Knievel and World War 2 - he did not take to school and went off the rails, once being suspended for mooning the gym teacher. By 12, he was smoking, very soon came drinking, and drugs. There was petty theft and vandalism, he lost his virginity at 13. Small wonder he got into rock and roll.

Johnny first discovered a love of music back in Owensboro, when attending the church of his uncle, a fundamentalist minister. His uncle would preach, the people would clutch his feet and be redeemed, but Johnny was more taken by the gospel music. In Florida, as this troubled adolescent became a surly teenager, he received a guitar from his mother and, like millions before him, retired to his room and taught himself to play.

Strawberry and Chocolate

Strawberry and Chocolate

1994

Directed by
Tomás Gutiérrez Alea Juan Carlos Tabío
Writing credits
Senel Paz (also story The Wolf, The Forest and the New Man)

Running Length: 1:45
MPAA Classification: R (Nudity, sex, mature themes, language)

Starring: Jorge Perugorria, Vladimir Cruz, Mirta Ibarra, Francisco Gatorno, Marilyn Solaya
Directors: Tomas Gutierrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabio
Producer: Miguel Mendoza
Screenplay: Senel Paz based on "The Wolf, the Forest, and the New Man"
Cinematography: Mario Garcia Joya
Released by Miramax Films
In Spanish with subtitles

Plot Summary: Diego, a cultivated, homosexual and skeptical young man, falls in love with a young heterosexual communist full of prejudices and doctrinary ideas...

Synopsis
Havana in the 90s: In an ice cafe artist Diego hits on the naive student David who was just been left by his friend. While the gay Diego hopes to get the nice young communist in bed, David loyal smells the chance to expose an enemy of the state - goaded from his communist roommate Miguel. Between them passionate debates on personal and political freedoms develop. Under Diego´s influence David´s ideal picture of the system starts to crumble. A deep friendship soon connects them both, so that the original purposes - seduction on one, exposure on the other side - completely lose to meaning. However, then Diego receives an employment ban...
On the surface, it might seem odd to compare Strawberry and Chocolate, Cuba's official 1995 Foreign Film Academy Award entry, with Boys on the Side. Indeed, obvious similarities are few, but scratch the surface a little, and it becomes apparent that both movies share a common strength -- the complex and well-developed friendship between a gay and straight person. And, as was the case with Whoopi Goldberg and Mary-Louise Parker in Boys, the acting is the key. Here, Jorge Perugorria (as the homosexual Diego) and Vladimir Cruz (as the heterosexual David) bring life and vitality to a pair of personalities sketched out on paper.

Diego and David are very different sorts of people -- and perhaps that's what attracts them to each other. Diego, a twenty-something writer with a passion for art, has an anti-Castro track record. David, still in college and smarting from his girlfriend's rejection, studies political science and places the Communist way above all else. The relationship between the two begins steeped in lies (Diego has made a bet that he can bed David; David is attempting to gather evidence proving Diego's counterrevolutionary leanings), but over time it grows into something genuine and substantial.

Several tangential characters fade in and out of Strawberry and Chocolate, occasionally intersecting the main story, but rarely having much impact. Subplots featuring David's ex- girlfriend (Marilyn Solaya) and a deeply religious whore named Nancy (Mirta Ibarra) are neither especially interesting nor invigorating. Relying on overused story elements, these parts of the movie present a marked contrast to the thoughtful, insightful depiction of Diego and David's friendship.

Strawberry and Chocolate is not the first movie to examine the often-contradictory concepts of art and propaganda, but the balanced perspective presented here impregnates the issue with freshness. One might not normally expect an open perspective on social and cultural issues to find expression in a film backed by a restrictive government, but Strawberry and Chocolate received not only official sanctioning, but financing as well.

Strawberry and Chocolate is ultimately a film of many layers, and the viewer who invests more into watching the picture will get more out. While the movie might superficially seem to be a comedy, it is most effective during the quietly dramatic moments. The obvious fulcrum -- Diego and David's relationship -- is as complex and antithetical as the film's overall tone. Mentor and pupil, with different ideologies, the two need more from each other than either initially guesses at.

With a different cast or a more heavy-handed director, Strawberry and Chocolate could have been a pretentious melodrama. Filmed with skill and precision, however, the actual result is an engaging -- although not totally engrossing -- examination of the culture and values of 1979 Cuba -- issues that are surprisingly timely and universal. You don't have to be a resident of Havana to understand Strawberry and Chocolate's messages, or to appreciate the two characters it serves alongside its ice cream.

Jorge Perugorria

Jorge Perugorria, alias Pichi, y popularmente conocido como el Diego de "Fresa y chocolate", es el actor cubano con mayor participacin en el cine internacional de la dcada de los 90.
Nace en La Habana en 1965 y su trabajo como actor comienza en Cuba con pequenos papeles en teatro y television. Sale del anonimato cuando en 1993 el director cubano Toms Gutirrez Alea le elige para que interprete a uno de los protagonistas de "Fresa y chocolate", film cubano de gran xito.
Asi es que nuestro actor hace su primera incursion en el cine con esta pelicula y de la noche a la manana se convierte en el actor mas cotizado del cine cubano. Interpreta a Diego, un homosexual que intenta seducir a un militante de la juventud comunista y con el que acaba por establecer una gran amistad. Y aunque Diego lucha contra la intolerancia y a favor de la libertad en el rgimen castrista, el film va mas alla y propone una reflexion sobre la incomprension a todo lo que significa ser y pensar diferente.
Despues de "Fresa y chocolate" viene la locura del exito, y para un actor cubano que ha vivido con la cartilla de racionamiento durante 28 anos esta pelicula supone un cambio radical en su vida. Despus de su excelente trabajo en el rol de Diego, recibe propuestas de trabajo en el cine internacional.
El desaparecido director cubano, Toms Gutirrez Alea (Titon para los amigos) ha sido su gran amigo y maestro. Pichi y Titon han trabajado juntos en "Fresa y chocolate" y "Guantanamera". Tan entranable relacion tropieza con Fidel Castro, que critica duramente este tipo de film por la imagen que ofrece de la isla, a lo que el actor cubano le busca el lado positivo a toda la situacin: las criticas de Castro son una publicidad maravillosa para "Guantanamera".
De descendientes espanoles, el abuelo del actor es el primer Perugorria que nace en Cuba, donde se trasladan desde Espaa su tatarabuelo y bisabuelo a principios del s.XX. Interesado en seguirles el rastro, en 1995 es invitado al programa de Television espaola "Quien sabe dnde". Desde alla, lanza un mensaje para buscar a los familiares de sus ascendientes que hay en Espana y, como el apellido es tan comun, empiezan a salir perugorrias como setas.

Este hombre de penetrantes ojos verdes y aspecto viril ha sido clasificado, mal que le pese, como actor de personajes siempre dispuestos a la conquista femenina. A esto suele contestar con un "yo estoy conquistado hace rato". Casado con Elsa, actriz junto a la que empieza su carrera teatral, tienen tres hijos y se definen como una familia estable de cubanos medios. En definitiva, Pichi es accesible, transmisor de buen rollito y alguien que puede estar hablando de Cuba horas y horas, "si no estoy alla extrano La Habana, la gente, su malecon, sus ruidos, sus olores...".

Vladimir Cruz

Nació en Cienfuegos, en el año 1965.
Graduado en 1988 en la especialidad de Artes Escénicas en el Instituto Superior de Arte. A partir de esa fecha comienza a trabajar como actor profesional en teatro, televisión, y cine. El filme Fresa y Chocolate, el cual protagoniza junto a Jorge Perugorría, lo dio a conocer internacionalmente.

FILMOGRAFÍA
1985
Una novia para David Dirección: Orlando Rojas
1986
Capablanca Dirección: Manuel Herrera
1987
Hoy como ayer Dirección: Constante Diego
1992
La fidelidad Dirección: Rebeca Chávez
1993
Fresa y chocolate Dirección: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea
La Deuda Dirección: Nicolasa Buenaventura y Manuel Alvarez (Colombia)
1997
Kleines Tropikana Dirección: Daniel Díaz Torres
La Rumbera Dirección: Piero Vivarelly (Italia)
Cubalibre Dirección: David Riondino
1999
Un paraíso bajo las estrellas Dirección: Gerardo Chijona
Lista de Espera Dirección: Juan Carlos Tabío

PREMIOS Y MENCIONES
1994
Premio a la actuación masculina en cine Concurso de la Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba.
Obra: Fresa y Chocolate
Premio "Panambi" al mejor trabajo actoral (Jorge Perugorría y Vladimir Cruz) 5to. Festival de Asunción, Paraguay.
Obra: Fresa y Chocolate
Primer premio "Kikito" de actuación (Jorge Perugorría y Vladimir Cruz) Festival de Gramado, Brasil
Obra: Fresa y Chocolate
Premio a la mejor actuación secundaria Asociación de Críticos Cinematográficos de Los Angeles, Estados Unidos
Obra: Fresa y Chocolate

A Home at the End of the World

A Home at the End of the World

2004

Starring: Colin Farrell, Robin Wright Penn, Dallas Roberts
Director: Michael Mayer
Rating: R
Distributor: Warner Independent
Release Date: 07.23.04

Farrell Hits "Home" in Story of Family

If anyone needed proof that Irish actor Colin Farrell was more than just another pretty face, they would need look no farther than the “A Home at the End of the World.” Based on the acclaimed novel by The Hours scribe Michael Cunningham, Farrell is – quite simply – sensational. A breathy lamb lost amidst the headlights of the world, the actor turns in a nuanced, tour de force performance that screams Oscar. As good as he’s been in works as varied as “Tigerland,” “Phone Booth,” “Daredevil” and “Minority Report,” he outdoes himself this time, elevating a rather cluttered (and slightly tired) narrative into a near-unforgettable experience.


The story itself is a rather unique examination of home and family. Following the emotional maturation of Bobby (played by Farrell as an adult), “A Home at the End of the World” doesn’t concern itself with tidy resolutions or easy answers. Instead, its focus is upon internal exploration, the ability to discover and experience all ranges of the human condition both within oneself and in others. Like Virginia Woolfe, so well ahead of her time, Cunningham has the insight to realize family isn’t necessarily a father and a mother but instead sometimes made up by the people we surround ourselves with.


In the case of Bobby, family is something he’s never gotten the opportunity to experience. His older brother died tragically in front of his eyes, while mom and dad both passed due to a heated combination of heartbreak, depression and alcohol before he’s even finished High School. Insinuating himself into the good graces of social outcast Jonathan, Bobby soon finds himself another member of the boy’s family, so much so his new best friend can’t help but become jealous when his parents start treating the newcomer as more of a son than they do him.

Fast forward a few years, Bobby is taking care of Jonathan’s (newcomer Dallas Roberts as an adult) family while the latter has gone to New York City to find himself. As circumstances change, the pair reunites in the Big Apple and estranged friendship – and maybe something more – is reinvigorated. It is here that Bobby meets Jonathan’s free spirit roommate Claire (Robin Wright-Penn, “White Oleander”), a flighty Bohemian beauty with plenty to teach this star-struck babe cowering timidly beneath the big-city lights. Together the trio invents a new kind of family, one that stretches the boundaries of normalcy, their lives ebbing and flowing into one another’s with all the passion of oceanic waves crashing ashore.

Having never read Cunningham’s novel it is readily apparent from what is on display here that it is a complex, emotionally charged piece of fiction daring to touch on a variety of subjects from the benign to the taboo. Spanning over a decade and taking us from childhood innocence to a young adult’s owning up to responsibility, there is a lot going on; far too much for one 95-minute motion picture. Too often the author and Tony award-winning director Michael Mayer (“Thoroughly Modern Millie,” making his theatrical debut) rely upon music video montage and pap emotionalism to get their points across. Characters appear, have a moment or two of importance, and then suddenly disappear and are promptly forgotten while rocker Duncan Sheik’s oppressively maudlin score moans incessantly.

No more is this evident than in the performances of Sissy Spacek (“In the Bedroom”) and Matt Frewer (“Dawn of the Dead”) as Jonathan’s understanding parents. It’s not that both are actors aren’t any good – they’re borderline fantastic – it’s just that they have so little to do that’s not a cliché. Frewer’s big scene consists of a father-son chat with Farrell where he implores the young man to get out and take advantage of the wide world in front of him. It is a testament to both that this scene comes off as well as it does – it really is an inspiring moment of introspective evaluation – for as staged it shouldn’t even remotely be of interest.

Spacek does fare better, Cunningham and Mayer giving the veteran actress moments where she can’t help but shine even if they do tend to dip into the contrived. Priceless bits include a clandestine marijuana session with the two boys and a late film monologue where she talks openly about her life and the dreams that might have been. Best of all, a scene with a teenage Bobby where she resorts to teaching the youngster how to bake because she just can’t find the words or the emotions to explain her feelings about what she’s discovered he and her son are doing in the dark. It is a poignant, powerful moment, and shows Spacek at her best, the actress delivering both sparks and tears with a simplicity that transcends celluloid.

Yet, for all of the filmmaker’s flubs, they get so much right and the performances by the trio at the center are so good these flaws dissipate like morning dew. New York stage actor Roberts cuts a pained, tragically biting figure as the elder Jonathan. Even when Cunningham dips into the AIDS well, the actor rises above the ordinary and takes the character into fresh and unexpected terrain I really didn’t see coming. Meanwhile Wright-Penn is extraordinary as Claire and I hope Oscar finally takes notice nominates this superb actress. Her moments of sexual exploration with Bobby, her uncontrolled giddiness so fluidly mixing with respect and astonishment when she realizes he’s a virgin, is wondrous. It is as if she has an internal, instinctive link to the character going well beyond the norm, Wright-Penn doing more with a teary-eyed glance goodbye than most actors do with a histrionic speech.

But, in the end, this is Farrell’s film and he runs away with it like a lioness protecting her cub. Bobby’s evolution from needy usurper of love to patriarchal father figure is astonishing. So good, so utterly precise is he in the role, I cannot imagine another trying to take it on. This performance is a thing of magnificence, the type actor’s dream of giving yet so seldom do, and if nothing else the movie resonates in my loins because of it.


There are numerous other charms, however. Despite the choppy narrative, Mayer knows how to stage a scene and there are moments of such potent vibrancy I could feel chills run up and down my spine. He and cinematographer Enrique Chediak (“The Good Girl”) have a relationship so symbiotic it’s frightening. From images of a canary yellow Claire painted against a dusty Arizona landscape to the sight of Bobby and Jonathan dancing atop a New York city roof, images here will linger in my memory for quite some time.

If it isn’t perfect, “A Home at the End of the World” is still an unforgettable experience if only to see such a group of gifted actors – especially Farrell – transcend the script’s unfortunate limitations. Filled with poetry both audio and visual, this is a film I can applaud and appreciate for it is willing to take chances and showcase performers outside of their comfort zones. If family is something you create, not just a thing you’re born in to, than this is one movie worth getting engaged to.
by Jackie Cronkhite

"It's just love."

Based on the novel by "The Hours" author Michael Cunningham, "A Home at the End of the World" tells the story of a young man named Bobby. Growing up, Bobby idolized his older, free-spirited brother. But after his brother's unexpected death, Bobby becomes lost in his own life. A few years later, he befriends Jonathan, another seemingly lost soul looking for a friend.

The two form a close bond, one that carries into their twenty-something years. Jonathan, who is now openly gay, is living with another lost soul named Claire in New York City. Claire and Jonathan were making plans to have a baby together, but those plans are complicated when Bobby moves in. Bobby and Claire become romantically involved, and the trio form an unlikely family when they move out of the big city to the town of Woodstock.

Cunningham adapted his own novel into the screenplay, and the writing is superb. There are many great lines of dialogue in this character-driven piece.

However, the biggest failing of "Home" is the fact that two of its main stars didn't seem to find a center to their characters.

Colin Farrell, has such a raw, unharnessed energy on screen that he's simply captivating to watch. However, with the exception of Joel Schumacher who directed Farrell in the indie "Tigerland," no other director has come close to channeling that energy into one amazing performance.

It felt as though "Home" director Michael Mayer was holding his actors back. This applies to both Farrell and Robin Wright Penn, who stars as Claire. Granted, their characters are supposed to seem lost and not have a solid center, but in playing those characters, it felt like both Farrell and Wright Penn were being held back when they shouldn't have been.

The passion, the intensity that should have come through the screen just wasn't there. I think that if the actors had been completely let loose, "Home" had the potential to really be a great film. Instead, it just comes out a little above average.

Dallas Roberts' performance as Jonathan was the most steady of the film, along with a scene-stealing turn from Sissy Spacek as Jonathan's mother.

"A Home at the End of the World" is rated R for strong drug content, sexuality, nudity, language and a disturbing accident.

Bottom line: "Home" had the potential to really be a great film. Instead, it just comes out a little above average.

Colin Farrell

Colin Farrell Biography:
Possibly Ireland's hottest cinematic export since Liam Neeson got his kilt off in Rob Roy, Colin Farrell enjoyed a generous helping of trans-Atlantic buzz for his work in Joel Schumacher's 2000 military drama Tigerland. Previously known in his native Ireland for supporting parts in film and television productions, Farrell earned both industry recognition and international heartthrob status for his portrayal of a young drifter recruited to fight in the Vietnam War, winning over critics and audiences with talent, charisma, and his fearless assumption of a Texan accent.

The son of famed footballer Eamon Farrell, Farrell was born in Dublin, on May 31, 1976. Growing up, he planned to follow in the footsteps of his father and an uncle, who was also a well-known footballer in the 1960s. However, Farrell's plans changed when, while he was still in high school, his sister enrolled in acting classes at Dublin's Gaiety School of Drama. His interest piqued, the nascent actor followed suit, signing up for classes at the Gaiety School and then making his film debut in a low-budget production called Drinking Crude before he even made it to the Gaiety's classrooms.

Having dropped out of high school in order to pursue acting, Farrell dropped out again -- this time from the Gaiety -- after a successful audition for the Irish TV series Ballykissangel. Joining the show in 1996, he earned a degree of fame in his native country, which opened the door for further work in the U.K. In 1999, he could be seen in the family drama The War Zone, Tim Roth's directorial debut, and on TV in Love in the 21st Century, a segmented series that also featured such up-and-comers as Ioan Gruffudd and Catherine McCormack.

His first glint of overseas recognition came the following year, when Farrell was cast in a supporting role in Thaddeus O'Sullivan's Ordinary Decent Criminal, an Irish gangster drama starring Kevin Spacey and Linda Fiorentino. Criminal, which didn't fare well on U.S. shores, was quickly followed by Joel Schumacher's Tigerland. Although the low-key ensemble film, which was set in a Louisiana boot camp in 1971, received a lukewarm reaction from critics and audiences, Farrell's performance was the subject of almost ubiquitous praise.

Quickly labeled as one of the most exciting new actors to be detected by the Hollywood radar, the young Dubliner subsequently found himself enmeshed in the distinctly American phenomenon of almost overnight success; before the year was out, he had secured starring roles in a number of projects, including American Outlaws, in which he starred as Jesse James alongside Scott Caan and Kathy Bates, and Joel Schumacher's Phone Booth, a thriller about a young man (Farrell) fighting for his life inside the titular enclosure. Although the long-delayed Outlaws did little for Farrell's career, far more ticket buyers were able to see the young actor alongside Bruce Willis in the somber POW drama Hart's War in early 2002.

The following year, Farrell was virtually unavoidable. Not only did 2003 see the release of the aforementioned The Phonebooth, is also found the actor on the right side of the law in both The Recruit and SWAT and on the wrong side as the villainous Bullseye in the /comic book superhero film Daredevil. As if the year was busy enough, he also turned up in a pair of smaller films, Veronica Guerin and Intermission.

The two ensuing years might not have seen Farrell churning out a half-dozen pictures apiece, but he continued to grow in stature, first with a supporting part in the indie period piece A Home at the End of the World, then the title role in Oliver Stone's ambitious flop Alexander (both 2004). Indeed, Farrell's most notorious appearance around this time was, like so many before him, in a much-circulated sex tape leaked on the Internet. Two major roles in films by well-respected directors followed: The lead in Terrence Malick's critically-acclaimed but, again, little-seen The New World (2005), and the challenging role of author Arturo Bandini in Robert Towne's Ask the Dust. 2006 promised to turn around Farrell's downward box-office spiral with Michael Mann's much-anticipated remake of his own groundbreaking '80s TV show, Miami Vice. Rebecca Flint, All Movie Guide




Dallas Roberts

A graduate of the Julliard School, Dallas Roberts makes his debut in a leading role in a film, as Jonathan, in A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD. He will next be seen in Winter Passing, with Ed Harris , Zooey Deschanel, and Will Farrell from writer-director Adam Rapp for Focus Features; The Ballad of Bettie Page for director Mary Harron and HBO Pictures; and as legendary Sun Records founder Sam Phillips in Walk the Line with Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon for director James Mangold.

Off-Broadway, Roberts co-starred with Edward Norton and Catherine Keener in the hit revival of Lanford Wilson's Burn This(for the Signature Theater). He also starred in True Love, as well as in the New York Theatre Workshop's production of Nocturne (for which he received a Drama Desk nomination for leading actor in a play).

His regional theatre work includes The Contemporary American Theatre Festival, The Humana Festival, American Repertory Theatre, and the O'Neill Center.