This is in the top drawer of movies ever made to date. It is flawless, a work of art in which the whole canvas is filled with colour and richness, and the true meaning of the movie gradually unfolds through a harrowing course to a powerful, moving finale. Acting and direction are all superb, and in my opinion the placing of "the spider woman" as the central icon of the movie is sheer genius, made complete by the casting of Sonia Braga, a unique beauty. The final scene with the death of William Hurt's character, the unfolding of the last petal, reaches out and grabs our heart, not unlike the final words of "Chinatown" when Nicholson's sidekick takes him aside with "Forget it Boss, its Chinatown".

"Kiss of the Spider Woman" was originally a novel and then a Broadway play--and it's pretty easy to imagine this. That's because almost everything takes place in a prison cell occupied by two men. Up until late in the film, the only times it's not set there is when either of the men is taken out to be questioned by authorities or when the transgender prisoner (William Hurt) tells tales--an adventure story involving spies, the Nazis and a gorgeous lady as well as a later tale about a Spider Woman.All of this sounds like a rather dreadful idea for a film or play as it's a prison film involving torture, illness and the like, but it manages to work due to good acting by Hurt and Raul Julia (his cell-mate) as well as some interesting plot twists. However, the very overtly gay plot is sure to upset or turn off many viewers and this film certainly is NOT for everyone regardless of the strong gay elements. After all, this IS set in an oppressive South American prison where torture and the like are commonplace.By the way, although William Hurt was excellent and received the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance, it is odd that he doesn't seem the least bit like a Latino....not the least.

In a South American prison, swishy gay window-dresser William Hurt (as Luis Molina) tries to seduce straight cell-mate Raul Julia (as Valentin Arregui), a political prisoner. At first, Mr. Julia is reluctant. However, by acting out the sexy heroine's role in an old Nazi movie, Mr. Hurt slowly wins his man. But wait... Hurt is offered a change to get out of jail, for which he must consider betraying Julia... This is an hypnotic, fascinating, heartbreaking, and extremely well-spun version of Manuel Puig's original story; by Hurt, Julia, and director Hector Babenco. The ending is open to interpretations beyond the obvious; in my mind, Hurt goes back to escape the confines of life with Julia as the woman of his dreams...********* Kiss of the Spider Woman (5/13/85) Hector Babenco ~ William Hurt, Raul Julia, Sonia Braga, Jose Lewgoy

Two very different prisoners—a flamboyant homosexual and a hardened political activist—share the same small cell in a nameless Latin American dictatorship, eventually overcoming their mutual hostility to accept what the other has to offer: compassion on the one hand; a political conscience on the other. The reason for their mutual incarceration only becomes clear after half the film is over, but by then the characters are fully drawn: one yearns for freedom while the other dreams of escape, via intimate narration of his favorite movie plot—a romantic melodrama he doesn't recognize as Nazi wartime propaganda.The plot is developed with gradual precision, unlocking layers within layers of contrasts and parallels. In the end the film is a study in opposites: gay and straight; dignity and exploitation; the freedom of daydreams versus the cold reality of imprisonment. Hurt won a well-deserved Oscar as the gay prisoner, Molina, but Raul Julia is equally fine in the less splashy role (Sonia Braga appears in each of the separate narratives, becoming the unifying link between them).The film itself exhibits surprising freedom and range despite being confined within a prison cell. Remarkably, it's not the least bit claustrophobic, sagging only in the final scenes, outside the prison walls. Sad and touching, this is a brilliant, bittersweet parable of repression: political and otherwise.