DIRECTOR
Bill Condon
Beauty and the Beast, Dreamgirls, Gods and Monsters, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Parts 1 and 2

STARS
Diego Luna, Tonatiuh, Jennifer Lopez

Generation Z can be forgiven if they initially believe Kiss of the Spider Woman is a spin-off Spider-Man movie of some kind. This movie’s source material can be traced back to Gen X times, starting with Argentine author Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel, which was adapted to film 9 years later and starred William Hurt, Raul Julia and Sônia Braga, the latter who gained international work as a result of this film’s release and in 1992, a stage musical was produced.

A film that tells a story within a story, Kiss of the Spider Woman begins in Argentina in 1983 during a military dictatorship. Valentin (Diego Luna) is imprisoned for allegedly being a part of a revolutionary group and is forced to share a cell with a new prisoner, Luis Molina (Tonatiuh), who has been locked up for public indecency. The very talkative and flamboyant Molina shares his love of a musical film, Kiss of the Spider Woman, with Valentin, who reluctantly allows Molina to tell the full story as a form of escapism. That film’s star, Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez) plays a successful magazine publisher, Aurora, who falls for her handsome photographer but has any chance of love threatened by the Spider Woman, who requires a sacrifice.

Unfortunately, I did not get to see the original 1985 film before watching this 2025 adaptation, nor have I read the book or seen the musical. Therefore, basing my views of Kiss of the Spider Woman as a complete first timer to the story, I am left with clashing views.

The frame story set inside the prison is wonderfully told and evolved. Though both inmates are subject to various types of mistreatments throughout and despite its oppressive setting, the conversation between the two men and especially Molina’s vocal storytelling prowess to Valentin completely captivates and is even often joyous to be a part of. How this part of the story progresses and ends is quite unforgettable. Visually, the storytelling seamlessly swaps back and forth between the small and grey confines of a prison cell and a stylish and colourful cinematic world of singing and dancing. No problems in its transitioning, but unfortunately the problems for me exist entirely within embedded narrative and musical numbers. The plot depicted here features some cute tongue-in-cheek, is unashamedly camp, but is also off-puttingly and unapologetically soap opera-ish and banal. Aside from its role in the “real world” depicted in this film, the story told throughout the movie sequences are completely inconsequential on their own, rendering it as two separate films that never come together as one. All would have been forgiven if at least its song and dance sequences were catchy and memorable enough, but none of them soar to any euphoric heights musicals are very capable of.

In the end, Kiss of the Spider Woman can only be summed up as being uneven. However, one component that definitely could not possibly be described this way is one of its star performers, Tonatiuh. He is a very large part of the reason Kiss of the Spider Woman is as delightful to watch as it often can be and his chemistry with co-star Diego Luna, also excellent, is one of the film’s best assets.

Kiss of the Spider Woman is showing in cinemas across Australia from October 30th, 2025.

Moviedoc thanks Roadshow Films for the invitation to the screening of this film. 

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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