Bill Condon’s feature adaptation of the classic musical stage play Kiss of the Spider Woman (by Terrence McNally, John Kander, and Fred Ebb), which itself draws inspiration from Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel of the same name, has premiered at this year’s Sundance festival. As a result, we have gathered some of the first reactions to the upcoming musical drama, starring Diego Luna, Jennifer Lopez, Tonatiuh, and Tony Dovolani.
Kiss of the Spider Woman is set in 1981 during the Dirty War in Argentina. It follows Luis Molina, a gay hairdresser who is incarcerated for a crime he denies.
To cope with the harsh realities of imprisonment, Molina escapes into fantasies, imagining films starring a legendary actress, Ingrid Luna—particularly one in which she plays a seductive and deadly “spider woman.” His solitary confinement is disrupted when a political prisoner, Valentin Arregui Paz, is assigned to his cell. An unexpected and profound connection develops between these two vastly different men.
Lopez portrays Ingrid Luna in the film. Other cast members include Luna as Valentin Arregui, Tonatiuh as Luis Molina, and Josefina Scaglione as Marta, among others.
Early reactions to the film are mostly positive, with particular praise for Lopez, Luna, and especially Tonatiuh, who many believe is the heart and soul of the movie.
Andrew J. Salazar from Discussing Film has praised the performances of Lopez and Tonatiuh, whom he believes gives a “star-making performance” in the movie.
Cat Cardenas from Rolling Stone is also singing praises for Tonatiuh’s “dazzling and heartbreaking” performance in Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Carlos Aguilar, a critic for IndieWire and The New York Times, has declared Tonatiuh a “revelation”, along with praising the work of Lopez and Luna, and the entire movie.
While praising Tonatiuh’s work, entertainment reporter Scott Mantz did not find the film impressive, declaring it “less than the sum of its parts.”
Caralynn Marie from Business Insider has called Kiss of the Spider Woman “sublime” while praising the performances of its leads.
Deadline is also impressed with the movie.
Kiss of the Spider Woman marked Condon’s first film premiere at Sundance since Gods and Monsters in 1998. The film received a warm welcome from the audience, with a standing ovation and reportedly bringing Jennifer Lopez to tears. Several studios, including Searchlight Pictures and Mubi, are currently vying for the rights to distribute the film. Stay tuned for more updates.