Firstly, I am beyond happy that Argentine author Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel is being adapted once more for modern audiences. The tale of two prisoners during Brazil’s military dictatorship, intertwined with an escapist sort of romance, makes for one phenomenal on-screen display. For those unaware, Kiss of the Spider Woman was first made into a full-length feature back in 1985, starring Raul Julia, William Hurt, and Sonia Braga. A new remake, starring Diego Luna, Tonatiuh, and Jennifer Lopez is in theaters this weekend, which inspired me to revisit a film I once naively avoided.
Upon watching the original Kiss of the Spider Woman for the first time just days ago, I found it to be beautifully complex. 20 years ago, I assumed it was a horror movie, so I avoided it. Let me explain: When I was a child, my father had a huge movie collection, mostly VHS tapes, that was scattered all over the house in various bits and pieces. Some in my parents’ room, others in the spare bedroom and a few downstairs. To make a long story short, residing at the very front of the cabinet in the spare bedroom (amongst some other ’80s films) was none other than Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Being just about 10 years old at the time, I shamefully judged a book by its cover. A home video release company by the name of Charter Entertainment designed the VHS cover and put Sonia Braga’s character front and center. This is Marta (Valentin’s girlfriend) or, more importantly, the Spider Woman from Luis’s retelling of the Nazi movie (which is in this 1985 film). Her seductive silhouette graces the picture, shadowed by the colors of blue and black and bordered by giant green leaves. A massive spider web looms behind her.
Why Was I Afraid of ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman?’
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As much as this award-winning drama is about more than only this character, this oddly eerie depiction is similar in style to the covers for movies like Fright Night, The Thing, or even Aliens. Whenever I decided to browse the tapes, I would quickly disregard the entire film, thinking it was a horror movie — a genre I avoided at the time. Turns out, this was not a horror film at all, but a heartfelt political drama that pulls you in and never lets go.
Even though Hurt was allegedly having trouble portraying a gay man at first, the actor became masterful in the role. It’s hypnotizing. Julia ever so smoothly displays a man slowly opening up to his prison mate, always struggling with his strong/revolutionary identity. Braga fully understands that her role is more than that of just a simple singer and shows deeper than usual strength. The South American jail, as the backdrop to all of this (the revolution on the outside as well), puts a hold of isolation on everyone inside — the likes of which, ironically, help these characters naturally grow faster than you ever thought.
As much as Luis uses his movie fantasy as a form of escapism (for both himself and Valentin), the struggle and the love that these two characters share for one another plays out exactly the same for the viewer. There are horrendous things happening to the prisoners on the other side of the cell, a brutal authoritarian regime in Brazil that sets it all in motion — but the genuine spark between these two men is a light in the darkness for the future. As much as they think they are different, they are but two sides of the same coin. We, the viewer, are lucky enough to witness them realizing this.
William Hurt? Raul Julia? Sonia Braga? Yes, these names were on the top of the cover in big, bold letters, but my ten-year-old self had no idea who they were. The possibility of this movie being a female-led creature feature was more of a worrying priority at the moment. For that reason alone, I’m not even sure my younger self would have even appreciated the movie’s complexity. The deep themes revolving around queer individualism, the balance between reality and fantasy and tolerance would have gone over my head.
As the title says, I want to issue an apology to the movie for taking this long to give it a real chance. I’m glad that I finally did though. Now that I am older and have experienced the ups and downs of life (and met many people along the way), this film helps me to further understand those in the LGBTQ+ space more than ever before. Their plight is one that could be as equally heartbreaking as it is inspiring. Kiss of The Spider Woman (1985) is currently available to stream on HBO Max, Prime Video and YouTube.
Release Date
July 26, 1985
Runtime
120 minutes
Director
Héctor Babenco
Writers
Leonard Schrader, Manuel Puig
Producers
David Weisman
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Raúl Juliá
Valentin Arregui
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Sonia Braga
Leni Lamaison / Marta / Spider Woman
You can view the original article HERE.
