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Sundance 2025: Kiss of the Spider Woman is a queer musical triumph

Sundance 2025: Kiss of the Spider Woman is a queer musical triumph

Tonatiuh and Diego Luna in Kiss of the Spider Woman 2025
Sundance

Tonatiuh and Diego Luna in 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' (2025).

The musical film, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, stars Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna, and Tonatiuh.

Editor's note: This film review contains spoilers for 2025's Kiss of the Spider Woman, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26.

One of the modern-day masters in the musical film genre, Bill Condon (writer of Chicago and The Greatest Showman; writer-director of Dreamgirls) has another masterpiece on his hands with Kiss of the Spider Woman.

This new film is an adaptation of the musical by Terrance McNally and Kander and Ebb, which was, in turn, based on Manuel Puig's 1976 novel. In other words, this is not a remake of the 1985 film.

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2025's Kiss of the Spider Woman stars Diego Luna as Valentin Arregui — a Marxist prisoner in 1983 during Argentina's Dirty War whose life changes when a new prisoner, Luis Molina, a queer window dresser played by young actor Tonatiuh, is thrown into the same prison cell.

Valentin and Molina are hostile towards each other — at least at first. On one side is Valentin, who wants nothing to do with the feminine and artistic Molina. He is confused by her rejection of manhood and desire to be a woman. While her identity is not explicitly labeled as "trans woman" or "nonbinary," trans viewers will definitely resonate with her. (At the Sundance screening, Condon brought up Trump's executive order declaring only two genders and said "that is a sentiment this film does not agree with.")

On the other side is Molina, who is bored with Valentin's politics and philosophy. She thinks his world is lacking beauty and his politics are not important to her.

To distract themselves from their terrible reality, Molina starts to tell Valentin the plot of her favorite movie, Kiss of the Spider Woman, starring her favorite actress, Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez). Imagining themselves in the other roles of the film, Molina and Valentin learn about each other, love, and the revolutionary power of seeing each other as human beings. What Valentin doesn't know is that Molina has been sent into his cell to seduce him and extract important information about the resistance.

Jennifer Lopez and Tonatiuh in Kiss of the Spider Woman 2025Jennifer Lopez and Tonatiuh in 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' (2025).Sundance

At its core, 2025's Kiss of the Spider Woman is a story of two very different people who must come together. When they first meet, Valentin misgenders Molina, telling her firmly that she's a man, and posits that maybe she is gay because her father left when she was young.

While Molina isn't necessarily a binary trans woman, she doesn't want to be seen as a man. She wants to be just like the female movie stars she loves so much. For the most part, Molina isn't interested in Valentin beyond her assignment from the warden to get information out of him. She thinks his worldview is myopic and boring.

By listening more and more to Molina's story, Valentin slowly opens up to her, learns to trust her, and finally understands her. It's only through listening and understanding that he is then able to see her for who she is and love her. Molina subsequently lets down her own guard as well, learning to see Valentin for who he is. It's only through sitting down and listening that they can connect.

There's life-changing magic in being seen. After Valentin and Molina make love, Valentin calls her Molinita, which comes off as a beautiful acknowledgment of her true self.

All three of the film's stars are incredible. Luna is a master of his craft who, once again, delivers a stunning performance. Tonatiuh (he/they) is a brilliant breakout star, too, demanding the audience's attention and love. His natural femininity shines beautifully in his performance, creating an authentic portrait that I, as a trans woman, deeply relate to.

Lopez was born to play this role. She looks like an immortal star stepping out of the 1950s and into today. At the premiere, Lopez said that she used to watch West Side Story with her mother. Every time the movie would air again on TV, she would reflect on her dreams of starring in musicals. In Kiss of the Spider Woman, J-Lo's acting soars to new heights and elevates the musical overall.

After standout performances in Selena and Hustlers, Lopez may have found her Oscar role now.

Tonatiuh and Diego Luna in Kiss of the Spider Woman 2025Jennifer Lopez in 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' (2025).Sundance

Still, even with Lopez's stunning performances, my two favorite musical numbers were done by Molina. "She's a Woman" and "Only in the Movies" give Tonatiuh a chance to show off their skills and give Molina a chance to let out her dreams. It's the stuff you remember years later.

This is a big swing for Condon; it's a beautifully shot musical and political drama with a film-inside-a-film that is just as gaudy and audacious as the biggest Golden Age Hollywood musical.

Spider Woman is one of the most beautiful musicals in years, with every scene from Molina's story transporting us to the technicolor, meticulously designed and tailored world of Golden Age Hollywood musicals.

The film is sure to be an early frontrunner in next year's Oscar race for Hair and Makeup, Costumes, and Production Design.

One does have to wonder what critics of Emilia Pérez will say about this movie. Similarly to the 2025 Oscars nominee, Kiss of the Spider Woman is a musical about a very dark chapter of a Latin American country (Argentina's Dirty War instead of Mexico's drug trafficking and missing and murdered people) written and directed by a foreign director, with stars who aren't from the country being portrayed. Instead of attempting to have its actors speak and sing in Argentinian Spanish, Spider Woman has them speak English with an accent.

When evaluating certain common tropes for trans characters, Spider Woman features a trans character who is beaten, misgendered, locked in prison, lives a life full of sadness and alienation, and is then shot dead. She also lies and tricks a man to get him to fall in love with her.

In my opinion, none of this holds the movie back. Kiss of the Spider Woman (just like Emilia Pérez) is a great film with a memorable and complex trans character and a powerful message about the strength and beauty of stories, connection, and understanding.

Five out of five stars!

The Advocates with Sonia BaghdadyOut / Advocate Magazine - Alan Cumming and Jake Shears

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Mey Rude

Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.

Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.