Spider

Friday, January 30 - Saturday, January 31, 2015

35mm print

“Working from Patrick McGrath’s adaptation of his own novel, Cronenberg creates his most meticulously controlled and, perhaps, his finest film to date. Fiennes is extraordinarily persuasive as the closed-off Spider, released into the community – or at least a dismal halfway-house in London’s East End — after years in a mental hospital. Revisiting his childhood haunts, he begins to disinter and relive his experiences as a child, particularly his painfully strong feelings towards his mother (Richardson) and plumber father (Byrne). It’s primarily the precision – of performance, pacing, writing, camerawork and especially design — that make this Freudian drama so involving, though Cronenberg’s ability to establish and sustain a relentlessly grim mood while simultaneously accumulating a wealth of telling details also deserves mention. Byrne gives one of his best performances yet, while Richardson’s richly nuanced work in several ‘roles’ is hugely impressive.” – Time Out (London)

• Country Canada/UK
• Rating R
• Year 2002
• Running Time 98 minutes
• Director David Cronenberg

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.