Spider

Rating:
Summary: Need the director's commentary to make any sense of it
Review: Summary:
Spider (Ralph Fiennes) has just been released from a mental hospital and is being sent to a boarding/halfway house. Coinciding with his release from the hospital he begins to relive his childhood and the beginning of his journey that eventually led to him ending up in a mental hospital. The audience then follows Spider as he explores the 'webs' of his past that, though it isn't obvious initially, are a cross between truth and fiction. Along the way we are introduced to Spider's father, Bill Cleg (Gabriel Byrne), his mother, Mrs. Cleg (Miranda Richardson), who, though you don't realize it at first, also turns out to be Yvonne (who is supposed to be a prostitute and his father's second wife) and Mrs. Wilkinson at different points (Yvonne and Mrs. Cleg are played by Miranda Richardson and she does a few scenes as Mrs. Wilkinson). It isn't until the very end of the movie that we begin to realize that the past we are experiencing is the past as Spider has created it in order to come to terms with what he has actually done that got him sent to the mental hospital..

My Comments:
The movie is kind of interesting and... very independent filmy. Without the explanations of what was going on and what the symbolism of the movie is supposed to be by the director in the director's commentary and the featurettes this movie would be almost entirely unintelligible, in large part because even though Spider is supposed to be schizophrenic the portrayal is not by the book. As David Cronenberg points out, they let the character just turn into who he was with some initial influence from official diagnoses of schizophrenia; so Spider isn't actually the stereotypical schizophrenic, he is the Hollywood, Indy film version.

So, what about the story? Well, when you can kind of understand what is going on it seems engaging and when things are explained after you watch the movie it almost works. It's actually kind of hard to criticize the story because it is all just inside the mind of someone who is recognized as being mentally incapable. Without that leeway, the story is very illogical. But because this is all inside the mind of a schizophrenic, it's passable.

The acting? The acting is actually very good. As much as I like Gabriel Byrne, I think he was actually the weakest actor of the group. Admittedly he had a very difficult role, much more difficult than the older and younger Spiders, but at times it just wasn't very convincing. Miranda Richardson was particularly good. She has to be commended for convincingly playing 3 separate roles (though there is some overlap between them) and being so convincing that you don't realize at first that she is actually the same person playing all three roles. I do like Ralph Fiennes and, like Billy Bob Thornton, am I continuously surprised as he successfully portrays more and more roles. But I just can't give him too much credit for this performance - he didn't actually have to say anything intelligible; all he really had to do was walk around strangely and mutter. I'm sure that it was difficult to do, but there was no real variety in the role - it was the same thing from scene to scene.

Overall, the acting is really pretty terrific but the story needed to be slightly clearer. Finding out in the end that it was Spider that killed his mother (I just gave away the story, sorry) was actually a major let down. You find out in one scene and that's it, it's all over. If you're not carefully paying attention and actually trying to get what is going on you'll probably miss it. Anyway, if you like Cronenberg films, Ralph Fiennes, or independent films that require an explanation, you'll probably enjoy this. If not, well, you'll want to skip this one.

Rating:
Summary: A haunting tour-de-force.
Review: This is a dark and moody film that will reward the patient viewer. Cronenberg's spare approach to the subject matter actually makes for a hypnotic film experience: as with Naked Lunch, the madness is real and internal rather than displayed in some facile, flashy manner. Although the film is cold and hard-shelled, when a genuine emotion breaks through it is deeply affecting and well worth the wait. And Fiennes's performance is one of the best you'll ever see in a DC film. One word of warning: Spider is very slow-paced. Croneberg's strategy in recent years is to pare down the script and focus deeply and leisurely on far fewer plot incidents than most mainstream viewers are accustomed to. He wants you to digest and experience closely the characters' experiences. If you feel like being challenged, I would definitely recommend Spider.

Rating:
Summary: amazingly creepy
Review: I'll admit, this movie will not be everyone's cup of tea. However, if you appreciate the dark mystery genre, you will truly enjoy it. This movie truly had me guessing every other minute, waiting in suspense for the mystery to unfold.

This film is indeed dark, slow at times, somber, and very corporeal...but Cronenberg makes it work.

Think of a Memento-like twist with the ambience of a Burton film, and that is what you'll get.

Indeed, truly amazing film-making.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing despite great director and great performances
Review: Ralph Fiennes and all the other actors are great in this film, but they can't save it unfortunately.

It so accurately recreates the dreariness of this man's existence as to create an experience for the viewer comparable to sitting in a dank cellar for 2 hrs contemplating a rotting turnip.

I wanted to love this film, as I adore dramatic, even extremely depressing movies. I am a big fan of Cronenberg, whose work has always been interesting and often compelling (Dead Ringers, The Fly) but this, his first supposedly "serious" film makes "Nil by Mouth" (dir: Gary Oldman-great film) look like a fluffy comedy. It looks as if he has been trying to please the critics, who have never given him an even break before. It appears he has succeeded-THEY love this film.

It could have been great and has many excellent features but sadly, they just don't add up to a good film, mainly because of the torturously slow pacing. The first 45 minutes are especially hard to bear as nothing seems to happen, and there is no daylight in the film at all for about an hour.Hope Cronenberg adds a bit more of his old zest to his next serious film. This one was just TOO GRIM.

Rating:
Summary: Cronenberg's weakest film ever!!!
Review: Critics have fallen onto this film in the way that a spider would devour a fly. And with the possible exception of THE FLY, SPIDER is David Cronenberg's weakest film.

The reason that critics have over-praised this film is as follows: It represents Cronenberg's "normalization." No longer is he the philosopher-filmmaker. Cronenberg has finally made a film that seems at least somewhat naturalistic and conventional. SPIDER has none of the metaphysical profundity or visceral intensity of Cronenberg's other works. It is completely devoid of a single extraordinary scene or image. Even THE FLY had an extraordinary scene in which the Jeff Goldblum character frothed at the mouth, espousing the mysteries of "penetrating the pool of plasma."

The reason for this shift in sensibility is that Cronenberg did not write the screenplay of SPIDER himself.

SPIDER is little more, although slightly more, than a Freudian psychological melodrama. We witness the origin of Spider's (Ralph Fiennes) psychosis through a series of flashbacks. This, again, is a very typical form of character development, just as banal as the puzzle that Spider tries to piece together: it is a technique that is beneath Cronenberg.

Now that I've pointed out my criticisms of the film, let me explain what I liked about SPIDER: 1.) The manner in which the three female characters blend together into a kind of feminine blob, culminating in a moment at which Spider attempts to break open one of the feminine personnage's heads with a chisel. Unfortunately, THE FILM DOES NOT BUILD UP TO A STRONG CLIMAX. Although the film has a "crescendo," of sorts, it is more of a downfall. 2.) The scene in which Spider stares at a pornographic picture of women who appear to him as the cheap tart and his mother. This tells us a great deal about the effect of sexuality---or, to use "Videodrome-ese," "the flesh"---on his psychological development. But to suggest that "the flesh" ruptures pure reason is banal! 3.) The cinematography of the film is excellent. Its tonality is uniform, funereal, seamless, dreamlike, mesmerizing.

Although these effects are very strong, they still further reinforce the "psychologistic" nature of the film.

Cronenberg USED TO BE the one filmmaker who avoided psychologization: with SPIDER, he has fallen headfirst into it.

(Post-script: Instead of directing this film, Cronenberg should have re-released his impossible-to-find early work: the rarely-screened STEREO and CRIMES OF THE FUTURE.)

Rating:
Summary: Picking Up the Threads of the Past
Review: Adopted from "unfilmable" book by Patrick McGrath, Canadian director David Cronenberg succeeds in showing that every good storytelling is based on details -- even though the story itself is as thin as spider's web. Well, and fans of Ralph Fiennes, here's good news. He is fantastic, far above the turn he made in "Red Dragon."

The story, or the truth behind the maze of the presented situation about "What really happened?", goes like this; Set in London of the 1980s, a guy with a troubled mind named Dennis Cleg arrives at the door of a house for patients (managed by Lynn Redgrave). Dennis, muttering to himself, slowly starts to pick up the pieces of his memories in the 1960s, when he was still a boy living with father (Gabriel Byrne) and mother (Miranda Richardson). Following the grown-up Dennis who goes around his old haunts, we are introduced to his past seen through his mind, but how much can we trust?

The premise is very slender, and the "truth" about the life of Dennis as a child may not be so astonishing as you imagine. But Cronenberg's point is not the truth itself, but how to show it. And in doing so, he makes good use of wallpaper, gastank, and smashed glass -- or anything you might miss in the course of apparently self-contradictory story. Do not hurry; just watch the small details the director displays to order to guide you, or entrap you.

We got superb acting here; Fiennes is fine, in this very difficult role which needs to be realistic, and also to make us sympathetic. But more impressive is Miranda Richardson as his mother, who has to tackle two contrasted images of womanhood. You also John Neville as Dennis's "friend," and the picture is completely helmed by the sure hand of Cronenberg, who knows how to present a literary theme like this more than any other directors.

See this one as a good character study, or a showcase for creating unnerving atmosphere. The sky of London is never more cloudy than the one pictured here.

Rating:
Summary: Cronenberg returns with this mysterious psychodrama
Review: Having made the nostalgic eXistenZ, Cronenberg tackles another "unfilmable" book with considerable ease. It deals with a schizophrenic, played by Ralph Fiennes. We are given a tour of how Spider ( Fiennes ) ended up in a halfway house. His parents' relationship on icy waters, a prostitute who becomes the father's mistress and the confusion that lies beyond

Fiennes does a tremendous job acting as Spider here. Admittedly he doesn't say much, just mumbles something incoherently but it's amazing how much fear he has when he smells gas in his room and gets newspapers to cover him from the stench of gas.

Those thinking that Cronenberg has made another gory "Baron Von Blood" epic should either be pleasantly surprised or disgusted that he hasn't done that this time. In fact the only bit of sickening feature is where Miranda Richardson ( who plays Spider's mother and the father's mistress ) flits away a bit of the father's ( Gabriel Byrne ) semen into a nearby lake. In fact the first script which was written by Patrick McGrath was dismissed by Cronenberg as he felt he wanted something a little more realistic ( a potato filled with blood anyone? ) but nonetheless frightening.

This film is a remarkable achievement and is beautifully shot. The acting is superb and you can just picture London ( where it is shot ) in its 1950s state. Overall Cronenberg fans should be pleased and for Ralph Fiennes fans.....well I hope they can appreciate the good work he can play as a schizophrenic as he certainly plays the part well

Rating:
Summary: Touching and Disturbing
Review: If Samuel Beckett himself had written and directed this film, I would not have been surprised. I would qualify that statement by saying that Beckett probably would not have considered it one of his best.

While the film is undeniably powerful, and Fiennes' performance deserves an Oscar, there is a certain malaise (perhaps deliberate) about it which reveals a certain laziness in direction. "Spider" the novel is as distant from "Spider" the film as "The Metamorphosis" is from "Kafka" starring Jeremy Irons.

Fiennes' character, Spider, is borderline insane. He has one foot in reality and one foot in his horrific memories of a sordid, miserable, neglected and misunderstood youth. The best parts of the film are the scenes in which Spider stands outside the scenes of his past, reciting verbatim the dialogue between his father, mother, and his repulsive mistress. The ugly reality of insanity is presented here with no romantic embellishment; Spider is deranged, and does not understand the motives behind his own actions. Awash in misery, the mood of each scene is more or less consistent: tragedy and confusion. The only parts which even approach humor consist of Spider's entrance to the madhouse.
We feel sympathy for Spider, but for practically no one else in the film (except at the end, which reveals the somewhat predictable truth behind the murder of his mother.) Cronenberg tried a little to hard to shove the viewer's face in every nasty form of human behavior: alcoholism, degenerate sexual encounters (between his father and his real or unreal mistress), domestic abuse, etc. The mood is almost TOO much Beckett.

Nonetheless, this is a film that deserves to be watched, if only for some scattered scenes and am ambiance of degeneration I have rarely seen in a film. Watch especially for the opening, with Spider stepping off a train. Not a masterpiece, but a worthy curiosity.

Rating:
Summary: Haunting
Review: After sitting on my self for well over a couple of months I decided to give this movie a try. My expectations weren't very high and I expected something on par with Willard.
From the very beginning I was captivated with Ralph Fiennes' performance and he really communicated the feelings of being totally drawn in on himself.
The unfolding of the story was depicted in such a way that we experience the confusion and emotional turmoil of the main character.
While I've never been a big fan of Freud, the movie does make use of Freud's Oedipal Complex theory and models Spider's entire relationship with his parents is based on it. Spider's idealization of his mother made him incapable of seeing her negative qualities. While his mother did make efforts to be a "good mum" she also shared her husbands wrecklessness and drinking problem. In order to displace his mothers undeniable neglect he displaces her, in his mind, with a bar fly who flashes her breast at him at the local pub.
In reality Spider's father isn't too far removed from his mother. A man who makes efforts to be a good father but doesn't do much to eliminate his vices, however, Spider staying true to Oedipal victimhood takes a hostile view of his father and ignores the good qualities and demonizes his father.
While it is clear that Spider's memories are often twisted and others are mere imagination that he uses to make sense of what's going on around him, we can still say with relative certainty that his parents were too selfish in their drinking and partying to have any idea what their actions were having on their son.
The truly sad part of the movie is that Spider is never willing to look the truth straight in the face and the only time he admits to himself that the drunken woman really was his mother is when he kills her. So he selectively chooses to see the truth only when he is at fault. This partial look at the reality of his life is what keeps him locked in his past.

A truly sad movie and one I will not soon forget.

Rating:
Summary: cinematic mastery
Review: A train pulls up to a station, and a variety of passengers quickly get off. Businessmen, hipsters, thin ladies, craggy old men, loving couples, and distracted children all walk en masse, darting quickly to their destination. One, however, tentatively stumbles off the now still capsule, left behind, left alone, mumbling to himself. This is Spider.

Spider, or Dennis Cleg [Ralph Fiennes], is a rather gaunt man who seems to have aged beyond his actual years by a mysteriously hopeless resignation. Wearing his entire wardrobe on his body and lugging around a worn, yellowing suitcase, Spider mumbles to himself as he walks through the empty streets of London. His destination, a place he wishes not to go yet must, is a halfway house managed by a Mrs. Wilkinson [Lynn Redgrave]. It is here where Spider will recount his most relevant memories, and be confronted with the question of their validity.

A man of minimal possessions, Spider keeps a notebook in which he obsessively recounts his memories, ensuring his experiences remain unforgotten. This notebook, hand-written by his rust-colored, nicotine-infused fingertips, is absolutely covered in writing, his writing, a sort of hieroglyphically foreign language only he understands. Amongst these pages of scrawl we can't understand exists a very traumatic life-changing memory for Spider, and as the film progresses we are invited within this memory as he writes it all down.

Spider wanders through his memories like a harrowed doppelganger of misery; his eyes are far past empty, and his hunched over persona only serves to accentuate the effect that his mind has long since withdrawn into its very center, shielded from the hostility of the outside world. He mutters to himself constantly as he meanders around his childhood, paying very deep attention to the relationship of his parents during that period.

Young Spider [Bradley Hall] has a very close relationship with his mother [Miranda Richardson], forever the only woman in his life. As he begins to discover the idea of sexuality, it is his mother whom he manifests as a sexual being in addition to her role as caretaker. Without being able to clearly figure out his own thoughts on the matter due to his youthful adolescence, he fantasizes his mother as a certain saintly sexual aggressor, here to belong to him and to care for him only. When confronted with the idea that his father [Gabriel Byrne] could possibly cheat on her, let alone commit violent crimes against her, he considers this a violent affront to his ability to function, despite not clearly knowing why. Confused about sexuality, this Oedipal child becomes infuriated when he witnesses his father kill his mother, and as an adult man painstakingly reworks and records the crime constantly.

Personal identity is defined through the ability of one to store, recollect, and be able to recount one's own memories, often without acknowledging the work that goes into this process. Memory is an essential component of our human experience, and we depend on it's existence to be able to remember who we are, where we are, and where we could possibly be going. If we fail to be able to recount these memories properly, we are subject to the inevitable identity crisis coupled with not being able to accurately remember who we are. We trust our memories to define our existence and to remain accurate through the years, without considering that our own mind isn't always the truthful documentarian we wish it to be. This film presents Spider with the possibility that his own mind is just as fallible as anything else, and that its ability to pick and choose what is important and what should be blocked doesn't always coincide with his own interests.

Photographed with truly rich cinematic grace by Peter Suschitzky, Spider presents a past world that feels like an old scrapbook, with a smooth, worn cover embedded with the dirt of age. The design of the film on all fronts allows it to have a certain textural gracefulness, an aged tactility of weathered carpeting and chipping paint. As he meanders through this stark beige, brown, and green world, Ralph Fiennes delivers a phenomenally understated performance, feeling just as fragilely worn as these austere surroundings.

On all technical fronts Spider is a cinematic masterpiece, and fits beautifully in the canon of intelligent and well-crafted cinema of David Cronenberg. A meditative and highly subjective film, Spider is a journey into the mind of a troubled man who makes his best efforts possible to take control of his own mind, and who, despite his schizophrenia, is portrayed in such a human way the audience can't help but be forced to question the validity of their very own thoughts. A superbly paced, subtle horror film, Spider is a finely-honed masterwork of a truly ingenious auteur.