Spider
a review by Jeffrey Overstreet
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Dennis Cleg (Ralph Fiennes) was once a young boy who adored his mother (Miranda Richardson).
Now, a mentally deranged vagrant in search of a home, peace of mind, and sanity, he thinks back on his troubling childhood. While most children played games and made friends, he sat alone in a dingy apartment with only his mother for company. His days were darkened by the shadow and the temper of his alcoholic father (Gabriel Byrne), who gave him the first push towards psychological distress.
Spider is as grim as any film so far this year, and as we watch Dennis sort through these harsh chapters of his life, we are challenged to piece together what really happened in that childhood, and why every woman Dennis encounters seems to wear his mother’s face.
Spider‘s director is a professional at portraying psychological turmoil: David Cronenberg, the man at the helm of such twisted thrillers as Dead Ringers, Crash, and Existenz, has here taken Patrick McGrath’s 1990 novel and filmed a fascinating journey through the present, the past, and alternate versions of the past warped by Dennis’s confusion. The audience is challenged to separate true scenes from false ones. In the film, Dennis has just been released from an asylum—he is half mad, living in a home for struggling mental patients. In this dark, dank, mildew-colored shambles, he wrestles with painful memories in solitude.
It is not hard to see why Cronenberg cast Ralph Fiennes in the lead role: Fiennes has a prominent forehead that looks like it weighs a ton, swollen with angst and confusion. The rest of the cast is brilliant as well: Byrne refuses to exaggerate his turn as a thick-headed drunkard, while Richardson revels in the opportunity to play the broken mother figure and the vicious mistress. John Neville, who made such a perfect Baron Munchausen for director Terry Gilliam, brings much-needed humor to these otherwise morbid scenes.
Unfortunately, the film’s slow, toilsome journey does not lead to any particularly shocking or interesting revelations. As the pieces finally begin to form a clear picture, the picture is disappointingly unspectacular. As a meditation on the fragility of a child’s mind, Spider resonates with truth. But as a mystery, it’s a lot of unpleasant work for the viewer, and offers a conclusion that will make you say, “Whatever.”
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Director – David Cronenberg
Writer – Patrick McGrath, based on his novel
Director of photography – Peter Suschitzky
Editor – Ronald Sanders
Music – Howard Shore
Production designer – Andrew Sanders
Producers – David Cronenberg, Samuel Hadida and Catherine Bailey
Sony Pictures Classics. 98 minutes. Rated R.
STARRING: Ralph Fiennes (Dennis Cleg), Miranda Richardson (Mrs. Cleg), Gabriel Byrne (Bill Cleg), Lynn Redgrave (Mrs. Wilkinson), John Neville (Terrence), Gary Reineke (Freddy) and Bradley Hall (Dennis as a boy).
Tags: Literature
June 1st, 2004 at 3:33 pm
YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!
and that’s pretty much all i have to say about that.
-kate b.
June 3rd, 2004 at 2:29 pm
I can’t believe I’m defending the CCM industry. But I am. Sort of.
First, I agree with you, Jeffrey (and with Josh Hurst) that CCM is frequently insular and superfluous, and is almost always a bastion of mediocrity. I actually pay very little attention to CCM these days, while the Christian musicians who operate in the “normal” (I hesitate to say “secular” because I hate the distinction that implies) music industry occupy far more of my time and attention.
However … I do think CCM has a legitimate place in the musical universe. That place has to do with praise and worship and persuasion through the communication of propositional truth.
There is, of course, an entire sub-genre of music dedicated to praise and worship. Much of it is inane; Hallmark Card verses set to ridiculously repetitive choruses. Some of it is actually pretty good. But outside of CCM there is simply no place for this music. Who else is going to release it?
Persuasion through the communication of propositional truth is more problematic. Propositional truth rarely makes for good art or good music. You can learn from a good sermon, but rarely can you dance to one. But much of CCM is focused on communicating objective truth: Jesus is Lord, He died to save sinners, etc. Is that the kind of approach that makes for good art? Maybe, maybe not, but if you’re going to dismiss CCM for this approach then you should be consistent and dismiss a lot of “non-Christian” music for the same reasons. A lot of contemporary musicians come to the table with agendas, and with a desire to persuade listeners to the truth/accuracy/value of those agendas. You don’t have to be a Christian to preach. But CCM, for better or worse, is primarily focused on that kind of communication. I think there’s a place for it.
Finally, CCM has actually produced its share of worthwhile music. And it involves far more than one or two examples. For every derivative (okay, for every *ten* derivative) CCM acts, there is a Daniel Amos, a Mark Heard, a Larry Norman — artists who actually have something to say and the musical creativity to say it well.
Okay, I’m off the soapbox. I just think these issues are not as black and white as they have been presented.
June 8th, 2004 at 7:49 pm
Here, here!
April 12th, 2005 at 2:53 pm
You mean the same Mark Heard that is reknowned as a great singer songwriter throughout the “secular” music world? How odd that you should choose him. And don’t forget about Pierce Pettis, Tonio K., or Charlie Sexton…
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
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