There's a moment early in Kiss of the Spider Woman where Molina adjusts a strand of beads hanging from his bunk. A small gesture. Almost nothing. The film reveals its complete comprehension of this theme while showing its uncertainty about expressing this particular idea. The film shows how decoration functions as a financial challenge against the space which aims to remove all possessions from its visitors.
The basic principle exists as a basic concept. Two men share a cell in 1983 Argentina during the Dirty War. Molina faces prison time for public indecency because he is queer and works as a window dresser while Valentín serves time for being a revolutionary who carries a Lenin biography and displays his anger through his actions. One deals in dreams, the other in ideology. Their financial situation represents only a part of their overall breakdown which affects their lives in multiple ways.
Director Bill Condon, working from Terrence McNally's stage adaptation of Manuel Puig's novel, builds his film around what might be cinema's oldest barter system: storytelling for survival. Molina narrates a fictional B-movie starring his beloved screen idol Ingrid Luna, played by Jennifer Lopez, and through this telling, the grey walls of their cell explode into Technicolor fantasy. It's escapism, yes. But it's also labour. Molina is working. The two prisoners generate important content through their shared mental area which exists only in their collective mental space.
What struck me, actually no, what stayed with me, is how the film frames this exchange. Molina's stories aren't free. The state provides these benefits to people who have lost their dignity because they need to connect with others and receive recognition of their human value which goes beyond their assigned role. Valentín pays in attention.
Then in softening. The experience took place at a time which I struggle to identify.
Tonatiuh delivers an outstanding performance as Molina through his detailed portrayal which makes me watch his scenes with complete attention. The character navigates through the movie by following the rules which limit his movement to the exact space allowed to him but he never exceeds those boundaries although you can see the price he pays for this calculation through his body language. Valentín discovers his desire to become a woman through a revelation which he shares with him instead of making a confession about his feelings.
And Lopez?She dances beautifully. She photographs at the same professional level as someone who is unconscious. The main issue exists in the singing performance. The Kander and Ebb songs present basic musical structures which require professional Broadway singers to complete their intended musical effect. The production selected to display grand visual effects instead of creating an intimate atmosphere by removing the prison-cell duets to add more fantasy scenes which resulted in a loss of essential elements. The economics of star power trumping the economics of story.
Diego Luna performs to the best of his ability in Valentín because the character demands him to embody an entire political movement while he reveals his character.
The strain becomes visible at times. The character reveals his understanding of artistic resistance through his silent moment when he sings along to one of Molina's created musical compositions.
I wished to experience deep affection for this product but my feelings stopped at liking it. The film appears to have a stronger affection for itself than it actually demonstrates.
The production design team together with Condon created an authentic luxurious setting which appears in the fantasy sequences of the film. The complete separation between dreams and reality prevents these elements from merging into each other as the most effective movie musicals achieve.
Still. Molina remains in position as he arranges the beads into order. Tonatiuh's voice cracks when he reaches a high note which produces an optimistic effect instead of defeat. The story concludes with an unexplained picture which makes readers think about the true expenses of escaping and who bears these costs.
Maybe that's enough.
