Before Brokeback Mountain there was Kiss of the Spider Woman. This film is about two men, two very different men, who probably couldn't be much more different but are stuck in the same jail cell in Spain. One is Luis Molina a flamboyant homosexual played by William Hurt in an oscar winning performance who escapes into this memories of old movies, and there is Valentin Arregui played by Raul Julia, Valentin is a gruff and tough political prisoner. The story starts slowly, but builds into a very interesting study of two men who find themselves in another person entirely opposite them. There is a gay scene, but Valentin is not gay, this is a movie about imprisonment and freedom. It is about people trapped, trapped by love, by bars, by societal expectations, who are desperately seeking a way out. There a slow moments and then ending requires some processing, but once you make it to the end you can not doubt you have seen a beautifully worthy movie. One must also note Sonia Braga's role as 3 different vital roles in the movie all expressing the entrapment of the characters until the end. A hidden gem you must see to understand.
No comments:
Post a Comment