It says a lot when a film from the makers of Oscar sweepers like Chicago and Dreamgirls fails to get a single nomination at the Golden Globes for their latest offering. Despite the celebrated (and utterly phenomenal) performances by its cast, its dazzling sets and wardrobe, as well as an especially timely and relevant storyline, Kiss of the Spider Woman has so far been largely snubbed this awards season.
I believe that it’s the film’s storyline that’s behind it being overlooked, as the Trump administration continues its crusade on queer representation in the media.
This version of Kiss of the Spider Woman is a musical love story based on the 1992 stage production, which was in turn based on Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel. But it is more than a story of an odd couple (cellmates who meet in an Argentinian prison, played by Diego Luna and Tonatiuh), it is also a trans woman’s journey of self-discovery through the reimagination of her favourite film, starring her idol, Ingrid Luna (played by Jennifer Lopez).
Since the first 1980s non-musical film adaptation, which ironically garnered four nominations at the Globes, we’ve come a long way in our understanding of trans identities. Thankfully, the new version doesn’t lean into the “deceitful transvestite” stereotype that earned William Hurt his Oscar.
With all that set aside, we get to experience the film’s lead character Molina’s transition to womanhood in glorious technicolour. I don’t believe that this depiction could’ve existed at any other time because of our current deeper understanding of gender identity.
Now, I can go on and on about the film’s execution and performances (and I’ll admit that I’m not entirely impartial when it comes to my idol, Jennifer Lopez), so I’d rather focus on the story itself. In particular, its significance in this growing anti-queer and, even more so, anti-trans era.
In Kiss of the Spider Woman, the character of Molina slowly comes into herself as she retells her cellmate the story of her screen idol Ingrid Luna’s role in a film-within-a-film, which at times mirrors their reality in jail.
While Molina and her cellmate get lost in their film, they forge a beautiful bond. And this love has a profound impact on how Molina eventually sees (and feels) herself, so that she no longer has to live vicariously through her idol. It is, however, her connection with the movie star that provides the escape, hope and motivation that allows her to ultimately become who she is.
The queer community has had its fair share of idols over the decades. Not only have they often provided the soundtrack to our lives, but their sheer extraordinary existence has kept us going in the darkest of times.
Some, like Madonna, suffered commercially for their support of our community, while others, like Nicki Minaj and even disco queen Donna Summer, turned their backs on us. But their impact on our community and how we move in the world is undeniable (there are even academic studies on this). For many of us, we saw ourselves in them on our TVs, long before we started to actually see ourselves represented on those screens. In many cases, some of these stars actually helped usher us into the media.
This is why, when people abuse their power to undo so much of the progress we’ve achieved – particularly in the media space – it is important to push back and show up. We need to go see those rare films, like Kiss of the Spider Woman, that actually represent us. We need to support those platforms that centre our community instead of those that now suddenly see us as a “risk” (even though they once tried to capitalise on the proverbial “pink dollar”).
Kiss of the Spider Woman received rave reviews from film critics before internet trolls got hold of it ahead of its release. Thanks to this manufactured negativity, the film has had a dismal showing at the box office. But we must not allow internet trolls to come for the JLos and Beyoncés that have inspired us to do and want better.
Yet, fighting trolls online only boosts them in the algorithm. Instead, by us making a point of showing up at cinemas and on streaming platforms for queer-affirming films and shows, we can cut them out of the conversation completely. Do. Not. Be. Swayed. By. These. MAGA. Propagandists. Who. Want. Queer. Representation. To. Fail.
Its makers have called Kiss of the Spider Woman a love letter to the queer community. For me, it was an absolute treat to see that special queer icon-fan relationship honoured so extravagantly. I not only felt seen, but celebrated. It’s in the small things that we take for granted in our daily lives, or even try to hide from the world (the hairbrush mic or, in Molina’s case, the shower/stage curtain). When your quirks show up in a movie, you feel less alone. Your existence feels more universal. That is the beauty of representation… and that’s precisely why they’re so intent on ending it.
Kiss of the Spider Woman is currently showing at cinemas nationwide.
