Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
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The story
Set in a Brazilian prison during the military dictatorship, the film centers on a dialogue between two very different cellmates: Valentin Arregui, a hardened leftist revolutionary who has been tortured, and Luis Molina, an apolitical gay man imprisoned for 'corrupting an underage youth.' To pass the time, Molina regales Valentin with retellings of a wartime romantic thriller, a Nazi propaganda film whose themes mirror the characters' own lives. While Valentin encourages Molina toward political commitment and Molina seeks comfort in the film's romance, an unlikely friendship develops between the two men amidst the harsh realities of their imprisonment.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film centers on a dialogue between two very different individuals who share a prison cell during the Brazilian military dictatorship: Valentin Arregui, a tortured leftist revolutionary, and Luis Molina, a gay man imprisoned for 'corrupting an underage youth.' Molina passes the time by recounting memories from a fictional Nazi propaganda film called 'Her Real Glory,' weaving a narrative to comfort Valentin and distract him from his separation from his lover, Marta. Valentin encourages Molina toward political commitment, and despite Valentin's occasional snapping at Molina's shallow views, an unlikely friendship develops. However, it is revealed that Valentin is being poisoned by his jailers to provide Molina a chance to befriend him, while Molina is spying on Valentin for the secret police in exchange for promised parole. Molina admits his love for Valentin, and they have sex on Molina's final night in prison. Molina is granted a surprise parole and provides Valentin with a telephone number and a message for his comrades. After being released, Molina is caught in a gun battle with the revolutionaries and eventually dies after refusing to give the secret police the number. In prison, a doctor administers morphine to Valentin, who appears to die but then experiences a vision of running away with Marta to an idyllic tropical island.
- First release year
- 1985
- Runtime (minutes)
- 121
- Production countries
- Brazil; United States
- Original languages
- English; Portuguese
- Directors
- Héctor Babenco
- Writers
- Leonard Schrader · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- William Hurt · Luis Molina; Raul Julia · Valentin Arregui; Sônia Braga · Marta; José Lewgoy; Milton Gonçalves; Denise Dumont
- Genres
- dystopian drama; independent; LGBTQ-related; prison drama; political drama; crime drama
- Themes
- political commitment; sexual and societal norms; friendship; sacrifice; magical realism
- Tone and mood
- dystopian; alluring; favorable
- Premise and plot tags
- prison drama; political drama; LGBTQ-related; metafictional; film-within-a-film
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1976 novel El beso de la mujer araña by Argentine author Manuel Puig
- Content notes
- LGBTQ-related
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim and positive reviews, being noted for its exploration of sexual and societal norms and strong performances.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 88% · review count: 40; Metacritic · score: 80 · scale: 100 · review count: 10
- Awards and nominations
- Best Actor · Academy Award · win; Best Actor · BAFTA · win; Best Picture · Academy Award · nomination; Best Director · Academy Award · nomination; Best Adapted Screenplay · Academy Award · nomination; Best Motion Picture – Drama · Golden Globe Award · nomination; Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama · Golden Globe Award · nomination; Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture · Golden Globe Award · nomination; Best Actor · National Board of Review · win; Golden Space Needle award · Seattle International Film Festival · win
- Production trivia
- The film's setting was relocated from Argentina to Brazil to include the context of the Brazilian military dictatorship.; The film features a 'film within a film' called 'Her Real Glory,' which is a Nazi propaganda movie.; The character 'Leni Lamaison' was named after propaganda filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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