After the disappointing eXistenZ (1999), David Cronenberg made "Spider", which might be his masterpiece. I was totally blown away by this film, especially on my second viewing (I DO recommend watching it twice, this is one of those films that need - and deserve - a lot of attention). "Spider" is the childhood nickname of Dennis Cleg (Ralph Fiennes, superb), a schizophrenic man who's sent to a halfway house after spending years in a mental institution. Back at his old neighbourhood, Spider remembers how his father (Gabriel Byrne) murdered his mother (Miranda Richardson) when he was a little boy, and brought a prostitute (Richardson, again) to live with them.
This is the most complex and compelling study of schizophrenia I've ever seen in a movie. Patrick McGrath wrote the screenplay, based on his own novel. But Cronenberg and McGrath are not like Ron Howard, Akiva Goldsman and their "A Beautiful Mind" (or "how to make a cute movie about a schizophrenic turned genius and win my Oscar"). We see everything from Spider's point of view, and that's both disturbing and fascinating. There's no attempt to fool the watcher, unlike some recent artsy-fartsy crap ("Birth") and then give us a "surprise" ending (we do have a revelation by the end, but it really makes sense here, thank God). Cronenberg's mature direction and McGrath's perfect screenplay, plus the magnificent performances (Miranda Richardson gave a tour-de-force with her multiple roles), Howard Shore's low-key score and the astounding cinematography by Peter Suschitzky (which gives the movie a Dostoievskan look) make "Spider" a memorable experience. I do appreciate the struggle producer Catherine Bailey had to face to make this movie.
"Spider" is a complex web, a powerful character study. It isn't an Oscar-movie (sadly, the Academy doesn't seem to be ready for this kind of film yet), but it's destined to become a classic. Don't expect easy answers, but if you like an intriguing puzzle, "Spider" will get you. 10 out of 10.
