Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

Description

Directed by Hector Babenco and adapted for screen by Academy Award' nominated screenwriter Leonard Schrader from Manuel Puig's novel, Kiss of the Spiderwoman takes a penetrating look at the role of sex and politics under an oppressive right-wing regime. Flamboyant homosexual Luis Molina (William Hurt) and aggressive straight revolutionary Valentin (Raul Julia) share a prison cell in an unnamed Latin American dictatorship. Molina, to Valentin's disgust, escapes the cell walls by recounting in intricate detail a melodrama he saw some years before that unfolds in a series of nostalgic flashbacks. Devoted to his politics, Valentin takes exception to the film, but is gradually lulled by its telling. Luis, however holds a secret of passion and betrayal... Hurt delivers his Academy Award' winning performance in this captivating tribute to the power of film and fantasy as an escape from inhumane conditions.