Directed by:
Hector BabencoScreenplay:
Leonard SchraderCast:
William Hurt, Raul Julia, Sônia Braga, José Lewgoy, Milton Gonçalves, Luiz Serra, Wilson Grey, Fernando Torres, Sergio Kato, Antônio Petrin, Miguel FalabellaPlots(1)
When activist Valentin (Raul Julia) is tossed in a cell, already beaten and tortured by prison guards anxious to get information out of him, he ends up sharing the space with Molina (William Hurt), a homosexual deeply engaged with popular culture--especially the movies. The two men have widely divergent views of life: while the leftist Valentin strives to bring forth a revolution, Molina buries himself in elaborate fantasies taken directly from the cinema. In particular, he relates two fanciful narratives--one a Nazi melodrama, the other an escapist fable about a glamorous "spider woman" (Sonia Braga), harkening back to the glory days of film noir and murderous femme fatales. The impatient and dedicated Valentin tries to raise his cellmate's conscience, and gradually the two men come together and, in a stunning and shocking conclusion, each one truly learns to put himself in the other's place. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
William Hurt
USA
Best movies:
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Into the Wild (2007)
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Raul Julia
Puerto Rico
Best movies:
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
The Addams Family (1991)
The Panic in Needle Park (1971)
Sônia Braga
Brazil
Best movies:
Wonder (2017)
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains (1987) (TV movie)
José Lewgoy
Brazil
Best movies:
Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
Entranced Earth (1967)
Milton Gonçalves
Brazil
Best movies:
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
Carandiru (2003)
Pelé (2016)
Luiz Serra
Brazil
Best movies:
Chico Xavier (2010)
Pixote (1980)
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
Wilson Grey
Brazil
Best movies:
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
Und der Amazonas schweigt (1963)
Orgy of the Devil and Other Forbidden Tapes of Ivan Cardoso (2013) - a.f.
Fernando Torres
Brazil
Best movies:
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
The House of Sand (2005) - a.f.
Sergio Kato
Brazil
Best movies:
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Truman Show (1998)
The Artist (2011)
Antônio Petrin
Brazil
Best movies:
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
Miguel Falabella
Best movies:
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
Bionic (2024)