PARK CITY, UTAH Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Kiss of the Spider Woman, which premiered Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival, captures all the drama of the original story and enhances it with show-stopping musical numbers.
The movie is based on the Manuel Puig novel which was previously adapted as a 1985 Brazilian film and a 1993 Broadway musical. Bill Condon writes and directs the new film.
In this adaptation, Tonatiuh plays Luis Molina, a prisoner who shares a cell with political revolutionary Valentin (Diego Luna) in 1983 Argentina. Molina has been placed there to spy on Valentin for the warden, but he manipulates the warden just as much.
Molina tells Valentin the story of the '50s musical Kiss of the Spider Woman to pass the time. Jennifer Lopez plays Molina's favorite actor Ingrid Luna, who portrays both the heroine and the Spider Woman in the film within a film.
The friendship and developing love between Molina and Valentin is as moving as ever. Valentin accepts Molina, a gay man arrested for public indecency and who wishes to become a woman. Even though there are parts of Molina's identity Valentin doesn't understand, they don't matter because Valentin sees Molina's soul.
All of Lopez's scenes are musical numbers from Spider Woman. Dance numbers evoke other musicals, including Chicago and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with a chorus of men backing up Lopez.
The music itself is tango-infused but includes both catchy tunes and power ballads, the latter of which Lopez belts out with gusto.
The pseudo-Technicolor look of Spider Woman contrasts sharply with the drab, dank cell that Molina and Valentin share. Of course, the movie was filmed with modern cameras, but the aesthetic captures the '50s Technicolor vibe for the audience.
All of the Spider Woman scenes appear on stages, adding to the artificial feel of the movie within the movie. Even a driving shot is filmed in a stationary car against a projected backdrop, a nice authentic touch.
Molina's telling of the story incorporates Tonatiuh and Luna as co-stars within the film. Occasionally, the musical invades their cell too.
Knowledge of Argentine politics is not required to enjoy Spider Woman. The story deals with broad themes of standing up for what you believe in, fighting oppression and the human spirit of working together to survive.
Valentin actually teaches Molina to not accept being degraded by society. In many ways, Molina validates what Valentin is fighting for, the marginalized communities targeted by oppressive regimes.
Molina also reminds Valentin to make room for love in his political movement. Valentin seemed to have loved ones in mind all along, but it is still a valid reminder in any crusade.
The spoken dialogue is poetic, whether the pair are discussing politics or sexuality. Molina's line about his ailing mother, "Her heart is tired from forgiving me so much," is especially poignant.
Condon has brought another great movie musical to the screen after directing Dreamgirls, Beauty and the Beast and writing Chicago. Like the others, Spider Woman has its own unique approach tailored specifically to the material.
Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
