When I think of Bill Condon’s Kiss of the Spider Woman, I think of two worlds. There is the dark isolation of a prison cell when two people allow their friendship to blossom into something romantic and feverish. There is also the crimson-hued world of the movies, a land where anything is possible and melodrama and passion reign supreme. We each have a specific tether to the art of cinema, but Condon’s latest adaptation reinforces that art can unlock something so deep within us that it changes our life. In the central role of Luis Molina, Tonatiuh leads with their heart in such a raw and unapologetic way that you feel as if they are revealing a new world that you didn’t even know existed.
We are dropped into Molina’s cell right with Diego Luna’s Valentin when the two prisoners become cell mates. Valentin wants quiet while Molina wants to chat. One believes in love and romanticism while the other insists on leading with their head in order to survive. Molina argues that living in a world without beauty is not a world worth living in, so these two people begin their journey together at complete opposite ends of every spectrum imaginable. When Molina reveals details of their favorite film, Valentin chimes in with his own commentary.
Tonatiuh’s body language is fascinating as Molina’s theatrically punctuates every tall tale and description of his favorite starlet, Ingrid Luna, played by Jennifer Lopez. Lopez rips through the screen–it’s easy to see the root of Molina’s devotion. Burrowing themselves into this character informed the performer on how to move in such a confined space. They offer up insight in how they wanted to play the entire spectrum of gender throughout the film. When they drop into Molina’s description of Kendall Nesbitt, their demeanor is more deliberate and careful. Watch their eyes as Kendall. They flicker but have the keen ability to lock in whenever he is trying to absorb a conversation behind hard around him.
Kiss of the Spider Woman is, on one level, about actress devotion–it’s what Nathaniel Rogers defined as “actressexuality.” There is a find line between that and obsession, and that self-consciousness has always been a proponent of queer culture. A lot of queer people feel a connection to a certain performer or character so much because it shakes something almost primal within is. When Molina sees Ingrid Luna dance or reject a man, Tonatiuh invites us to see that hunger in Molina’s eyes as well.
With some distance from the film’s release, Tonatiuh comments on how relevant Kiss of the Spider Woman feels. In the film, Molina says, ‘I’m not political–I don’t know about these things,’ but their existence, as a gender nonconforming person, is an act of political defiance. Whether Molina knows it or not. In their final moments on screen, Tonatiuh talks about Molina taking those steps up to Lopez’s Spider Woman during “Only in the Movies.” It is an ascension that the character has thought about but not gets to face it. Tonatiuh’s performance is ravishing and beautiful. What a tremendous debut.
