Writer/director Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, MVFF21) confidently employs the stylized trappings of classic Hollywood musicals and lurid pulp melodrama to present the mesmerizing tale of political prisoners in 1983 Argentina. Obsessed with screen queen Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez), queer window dresser Luis (Tonatiuh) affectionately relates his favorite of her films to his Marxist cellmate Valentin (Diego Luna). A movie-within-a-movie unfolds with femme fatale Ingrid spinning her glamourous web around Luis and Valentin. The storytelling is not merely diversion: Its embrace of compassion and dignity allows a deeper intimacy to develop between these two disparate victims of fascist oppression. Condon adapts Manual Puig’s novel and Kander and Ebb’s Tony winner into a shimmering showcase for its three enchanting leads, complete with lavish musical numbers giving nods to Vincente Minnelli and Bob Fosse. Beyond the lush production design and enchanting choreography, Kiss of the Spider Woman demonstrates how activism and strength can emerge in the most unlikely of settings. —Sterling Hedgpeth

El guionista y director Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, MVFF21) emplea con seguridad los recursos estilizados de los musicales clásicos de Hollywood y del melodrama pulp más sórdido para presentar una hipnotizante historia de prisioneros políticos en la Argentina de 1983. Obsesionado con la reina de la pantalla Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez), el decorador de escaparates queer Luis (Tonatiuh) relata con cariño a su compañero de celda marxista, Valentín (Diego Luna), su película favorita de la actriz. Se desarrolla entonces una película dentro de la película, con la femme fatale Ingrid tejiendo su glamorosa red en torno a Luis y Valentín. La narración no es un simple pasatiempo: su abrazo de compasión y dignidad permite que surja una intimidad más profunda entre estas dos víctimas dispares de la opresión fascista. Condon adapta la novela de Manuel Puig y el musical ganador del Tony de Kander y Ebb en un deslumbrante escaparate para sus tres encantadores protagonistas, con fastuosos números musicales que rinden homenaje a Vincente Minnelli y Bob Fosse. Más allá del lujoso diseño de producción y la cautivadora coreografía, El beso de la mujer araña muestra cómo el activismo y la fortaleza pueden emerger en los entornos más insospechados. —Sterling Hedgpeth



SPOTLIGHT ON TONATIUH
Tonatiuh is an actor and screenwriter whose latest role is that of Molina in Bill Condon’s adaptation of Manuel Puig’s Kiss of the Spiderwoman. When the film debuted at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, Tonatiuh’s performance earned widespread acclaim. Most recently, Tonatiuh starred in the Netflix thriller Carry-On (2024) and also appeared in the feature film Drunk Bus (2020). A native Angeleno, Tonatiuh honed his craft at the University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts and School of Cinematic Arts. He’s appeared on television in Vida, Promised Land, Hidden Canyons, and the miniseries Angelyne. He is also an accomplished stage actor.