Noted musical director Bill Condon returns to the genre with an adaptation of the stage musical and 1976 novel Kiss of the Spider Woman. Set in Argentina during its military dictatorship in May of 1983, the film introduces us to political prisoner Valentín (Diego Luna) as he’s moved into a cell with Luis Molina (Tonatiuh), a window dresser convicted of public indecency. As the two struggle to get along, Luis recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez) to pass the time. As Luis tells the story, the two grow closer and try to plot out their resistance and survival.
Condon is able to meld the two disparate concepts of the film into one story that both makes sense in context and mesh well despite being so diametrically opposed to one another. The close, confined quarters of the prison cell in which Luis and Valentín are held contrasts well with the 1950s technicolor style of the elaborate sets and choreography of the dream world Luis escorts his cellmate into when both feel the need to escape their torment. The musical numbers and melodrama of Ingrid Kuna’s Aurora character are the perfect bit of escapism for two men trapped in a prison drama and emphasize the film’s theme of the escapism offered by cinema. What Luis and Valentín’s bonding over cinema also displays, and what the film seeks to communicate, is the unifying element of shared trauma and strife. The two cellmates grow closer as they bond over their plight and Luis’ love for movies eventually blossoms into the two developing a love and care for each other.
This film was certainly intended to be a vehicle for Lopez and she does well as the movie star within a movie in Ingrid Luna. Condon gives her a lot to play with in terms of the intricate dance numbers and songs and Lopez delivers during the musical numbers that are sure to connect with fans of the genre. Her performances during these numbers is some of her best musical work in years, if not ever, which is saying a lot for a musician with over two decades of work under her belt. The star making turn in Kiss of the Spider Woman belongs to Tonatiuh as Luis however, with a performance that is humorous and emotional, displaying great chemistry with the always good Diego Luna. Tonatiuh is magnetic when he appears and consistently provides an element of magnetism for a film that can feel a bit ordinary for long stretches of time. Indeed, while Condon has made a well crafted musical and impressively avoided having the film feel too much like a stage play despite half of it taking place inside one small cell, Kiss of the Spider Woman isn’t a film that will grab the average moviegoer and capture them in full unless they’re musical fans predisposed to the genre. It’s a serviceable film, but not one that matches the grandeur of the musical production design.
Image: Lionsgate
