Jennifer LopezDressed in a dazzling, gauzy gown and sky-black heels, she fought back tears as she said, “kiss of the spider woman“but was embraced Sundance Film Festival With standing ovation. He told the audience at Park City’s Eccles Theater that starring in the musical adaptation fulfilled a lifelong dream of his.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life,” she said. “I wanted to get into this business because my mom would sit me in front of the TV and (‘West Side Story’) come on once a year. I was mesmerized and said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ This is the first time I actually got a chance to do that. This man made my dream come true.”
She’s referring to director Bill Condon, who has become a leading filmmaker for film musicals by working on “Chicago,” “Dreamgirls,” Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” remake and “The Greatest Showman.” This premiere marks Condon’s first return to Sundance since the 1998 period drama “Gods & Monsters,” which starred Ian McKellen and Brendan Fraser.
“I came here 27 years ago. The experience of launching that film here is something I will never forget,” he said, “‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ is a film I started thinking about so many years ago. This is a film I’ve wanted to make my whole life.
“Kiss of the Spider Woman”, set mostly in an Argentine prison during the “Dirty War”, centers on eccentric window dresser Luis Molina (Tonatiuh), who is serving time for having sex with a man. To escape the horrors of imprisonment, he regales his new companion, a political prisoner named Valentin Arregui (Diego Luna), with vivid stories about the cinematic exploits of his favorite screen diva, Ingrid Luna (Lopez).
Tonatiuh, Lopez and Condon at the premiere of “Kiss of the Spider Woman”.
getty images
Lopez and Condon joined Tonatiuh on stage, while Luna was unable to appear on stage due to a family emergency. The film, one of the most talked-about films premiering at this year’s Sundance, is seeking distribution — and several studio and streaming executives were in attendance at Sunday evening’s premiere. There were also some Jenny from the Block superfans in the room.
“I love you, J.Lo!” exclaimed the “Selena” and “Made in Manhattan” star during a Q&A after the screening. Lopez shouted: “I love you too!”
It is the second screen adaptation of Manuel Puig’s novel, following director Hector Babenko’s acclaimed 1985 musical film, which won an Oscar for William Hurt. There is also a stage version, with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb and a book by Terrence McNally, which opened on Broadway in 1993 and received seven Tony Awards, including Best Play by Chita Rivera, Brent Carver and Anthony Crivello. Music and best performances included. ,
Although the film is full of the kind of glitz one might expect from the genre’s golden age, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” also feels like there’s a more urgent political note. When introducing the film, Condon quoted a line from President Donald Trump’s inaugural address: “Starting today, it will be the official policy of the United States Government that there are only two genders: male and female.”
“I think it’s a feeling that you’ll see that the film has a different approach,” Condon said to applause from the packed house. “Importantly, the most important thing is that we have to bridge these differences. There is a feeling in this film that the only way is love and kindness.
“Kiss of the Spider Woman” was first screened for Sundance consideration the day after Trump’s victory, and Condon revealed that there were discussions about whether to release the film around the election. However, the filmmakers and producers decided to go ahead as planned.
“It became clear that for years, trans people were being used as the latest victims of the culture war. It felt like no matter what happened, this was something we had to live with and it wasn’t possible to leave,” Condon said. “And then, for me, the promise of the film is that somehow people can move beyond this and see each other as individuals.
Tonatiuh talked about his reaction to the story in his first major film role.
“Growing up as a female, gay Latino kid in a culture that doesn’t necessarily praise these things, I fought tooth and nail to put it out there in front of people,” she said. “But I was told that because of this my career would never reach the heights I wanted. Everything I fought so hard to love about myself was gone from me.”
This changed when he received the script for “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and read the part for Luis Molina. “When I received this material, I knew this person spiritually. I understand someone who feels lost in life and becomes his own hero by falling in love.”
