Tuesday, May 04, 2004

Spider (2003)
David Cronenberg
starring Ralph Fiennes, Miranda Richardson

Spider represents a slight departure for Cronenberg from the "medical disaster" and flesh-metal mutation movies he's so well known for, but regardless, he's spot on with this latest feature.

Ralph Fiennes plays a man who's recently been released from a mental institution and sent to a halfway house for persons slowly adjusting to the outside world.

As Spider convalesces he literally enters his childhood memories of living with his mom and dad, a tulmultuous and deceitful relationship which leads up to an inescapable tragedy and traumatizes young Spider for life.

Simple yet powerful, Spider is yet another example of Cronenberg's genius in storytelling (hey, anyone who can pull off a translation of Burrough's "Naked Lunch" can pretty much do anything). Oh yeah, Ralph Fiennes doth kick ass as well.

Spider is currently showing on HBO and available for sale and rental.