One Star-Making Performance Can’t Save Kiss of the Spider Woman

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In simpler terms, the phrase “Tonatiuh, the young actor who plays Luis Molina,” seems to be a shining newcomer in the role, particularly in Bill Condon’s recent film adaptation of “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” This movie, premiered at Sundance last night, is a modern take on the 1992 musical, which was itself an adaptation of Argentine author Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel. The character Molina is demanding, as he is dedicated to creating movie-musical fantasies while being constantly tormented by the real world. His vibrant exterior gradually fades as he forms friendships and falls in love with a man who is his polar opposite. Tonatiuh delivers a moving performance, conveying Molina’s fear, shame, resilience, and longing. However, some might argue that the overall film doesn’t quite match Tonatiuh’s captivating energy.

In this movie, Molina, a talkative and friendly gay hairdresser imprisoned for indecency under Argentina’s military dictatorship, shares a cell with Valentin Arregui (portrayed by Diego Luna), a stern Marxist revolutionary. While Molina decorates their cell with posters, photos, and beaded curtains, Valentin prefers to read Lenin and requests solitude. However, he appears troubled by Molina’s homosexuality and what he perceives as Molina’s vulnerability. When prison guards embarrass Molina in front of Valentin, the revolutionary states, “If a man called me a woman, I would kill him.” In response, Molina quips, “If a man called me a man, he would faint.” Despite his revolutionary beliefs, Valentin adheres to traditional masculine ideals, while Molina intuitively grasps the flexibility of gender identities. (At Sundance, the director introduced the film by reading aloud a portion of Donald Trump’s recent executive order defining only two genders. He then commented, “This film offers a different perspective on this matter,” to the audience’s applause.)

The close relationship between the two prisoners is depicted through Molina’s narration of a 1950s South American musical movie titled “Kiss of the Spider Woman“, where Ingrid Luna (portrayed by Jennifer Lopez) appears, resembling Dolores del Río. The director, Condon, captures these scenes using extended shots, vibrant colors, and elegant dance routines, creating an illusion of a shallow and outdated Hollywood romance within a rougher, dirtier narrative about bonding and affection. In these musical segments, Lopez, who also produced the film, takes center stage, embodying a contemporary diva playing a vintage diva portraying a fantasy diva, all of whom could be figments of imagination. The actress, known for her delicate screen presence during the early stages of her career before she became a pop icon, seems perfectly suited to this role (originally performed on stage by Chita Rivera). However, instead of a compelling performance, it appears more like a series of poses, which somewhat distances the film from the audience. Whether intentional or not, this choice is debatable.

Initially, Valentin is hesitant to listen to Molina’s cinematic fantasies as he has little interest in movies or what he considers unimportant matters. However, throughout the movie, their bond deepens as Molina narrates the film’s storyline. Interestingly, this whimsical Hollywood dream mirrors their own struggles. By the end, Valentin is even completing Molina’s thoughts. The extravagant and vibrantly colorful musical scenes in the movie serve to contrast sharply with the growing brutality of the prison environment, where both Molina and Valentin are subjected to beatings, poisoning, and drug abuse. Yet, these two realities gradually intertwine.

This operation requires finesse, subtler than it initially appears. Bill Condon, known for directing “Dreamgirls” and writing “Chicago,” is well-versed in the musical genre. He debuted independently at Sundance in 1998 with “Gods and Monsters” and has since become a trusted director of prestigious and studio projects. However, his expertise can occasionally conceal a certain languidness. His camera often seems detached from the action, and his films may falter at their worst, becoming completely inactive. I believe his finest work remains 2004’s “Kinsey,” a film centered around dialogue and analysis.

It takes courage for him to attempt recreating the ’50s Hollywood musical, one of the most vibrant and innovative periods in American cinema history. While the musical sequences in “Kiss of the Spider Woman” retain the vivid and refined qualities of their predecessors, they lack energy. This could be intentional to emphasize the tackiness and artificiality of those realms. Yet, these sequences were intended to be dreamlike visions, fantastical and cinematic escapes into a luxurious and graceful alternate dimension. They should not feel so dull. To achieve this level of elegance effectively, especially in such a self-aware manner, one truly needs a director with more creativity and vitality than Condon.

Fundamentally, Tonatiuh is the central figure who brilliantly embodies the film’s emotional depth, skillfully restraining when needed and passionately expressing when prompted. As we witness this young actor in his roles as Molina (and Kendall Nesbitt, a character portraying both masculine allure and hidden closets in the fictional movie), we instinctively empathize with his feelings of confinement, along with his quest for finding tranquil sanctuaries amidst an otherwise cruel and brutal environment. Although “Kiss of the Spider Woman” may exhibit inconsistencies, it’s challenging not to be touched by the emergence of a remarkable new talent on the scene.

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2025-01-28 02:54