Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Miranda Richardson, Gabriel Byrne, Lynn Redgrave, John Neville, Bradley Hall

Director: David Cronenberg

Summary: Dennis lives in a house for the mentally ill in London. Nicknamed 'Spider' by his mother he was diagnosed as schizophrenic twenty years ago but has never really recovered...

Based on the novel by Patrick McGrath, David Cronenberg's psychological drama follows Dennis "Spider" Cleg (Ralph Fiennes), a mentally disturbed man who has just been released from an asylum. Upon taking up residence in a seedy London apartment building, the already introverted Spider begins to retreat further into his own thoughts, shutting out the caretaker, Mrs. Wilkinson (Lynn Redgrave), and other eccentric tenants such as the wistful Terrence (John Neville). Within the confines of his mind, the anxious Spider revisits his childhood and literally watches his younger self (Bradley Hall) as he interacts with his doting mother (Miranda Richardson) and distant father (Gabriel Byrne). As his visions of the past continue, tragedy strikes and the dark history of Spider's life is slowly revealed.
A surprisingly subtle outing for Cronenberg, SPIDER carefully avoids the director's grotesque "body horror" aesthetic, common to films such as VIDEODROME and THE FLY. By leaving his signature bag of tricks behind, Cronenberg frees himself to tell one of the most compelling stories of his career. The film is anchored by Fiennes' impressive performance as the mumbling, reclusive, and strangely sympathetic title character. In the hands of a less experienced and dynamic actor, Spider's awkward presence could border on caricature, but Fiennes imbues the self-isolated man with dignity and depth. Aiding Fiennes and Cronenberg in this minimalist masterpiece are McGrath (who has carefully pared down his hallucinatory prose), composer Howard Shore, and cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, along with actors Byrne, Hall, Redgrave, Neville, and, most notably, Richardson in a remarkable triple role.

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Internal madness is hypnotically externalized in David Cronenberg's Spider, a disturbing portrait of schizophrenia. Adapted by Patrick McGrath from his celebrated novel, this no-frills production begins when "Spider" Cleg (Ralph Fiennes, in a daring, nearly nonverbal role) returns to his childhood neighbourhood in London's dreary East End, where a traumatic event from his past percolates to the surface of his still-erratic consciousness.

Released from a mental institution and left to fend for himself, he pursues elusive memories while staying in a halfway house run by a stern matron (Lynn Redgrave), unable to distinguish between past, present, and psychological fabrication. The distorting influence of Spider's mind is directly reflected in Cronenberg's cunning visual strategy, presenting a shifting "reality" that's deliberately untrustworthy, until the veracity of nearly every scene is called into question. With an impressive dual-role performance by Miranda Richardson, Spider falls prey to its own lugubrious rhythms, but like the acclaimed 1995 indie film Clean, Shaven, it's a compelling glimpse of mental illness, seen from the inside out. --Jeff Shannon

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Cast And Crew Interviews, Trailers
Subtitles:	English
Year:	2002
Release Date:	July 14, 2003
Runtime:	98 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	D 094639
Keywords:	General, Spider, Drama
Genre:	Drama