Spider
David Cronenberg delves into the depths of the human psyche in the 2002 psychological thriller Spider. Based on the novel of the same name by Patrick McGrath, Spider premiered at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival and generated some good critical buzz. It faced a limited release in theatres, however, and remained largely unseen by the general public. Despite this, the film was popular among critics and Cronenberg enthusiasts. The performers earned several awards for their work in the film and Cronenberg picked up the Best Director award at the Canadian Genie Awards.
The film struggled with funding from day one. Because of the desire to make the film, Cronenberg deferred his salary and essentially worked for free. Star Ralph Fiennes did the same, along with other members of the cast. For many, Spider was a labour of love and followed the traditional path of indie films during production. For Cronenberg, it was a departure from the science-fiction/horror films he was renowned for and resembled another change in direction. For Fiennes, his love for the project was evident in the way he shopped it around to various directors before ending up with Cronenberg. His knack for the role and his ability to fit the mould is uncanny.
Fiennes stars as Dennis “Spider” Cleg, a man struggling under the weight of eternal torment. When we first meet Cleg, he’s exiting a train in the midst of a throng of people. As Cronenberg outlined on the bonus features of the DVD, Cleg is distinctively set apart in the opening steady- cam shot as he is not caught up with the “normal people” at all. Rather, we see him differently from the outset. He is an odd individual, yet he is never presented with enough distance to make any separations from ourselves. Instead, Cleg is like us in many ways. This adds to the haunting mystique of the film.
Fiennes inhabits the role of Cleg with an evocative quality, living within the skeleton of a man with nothing left. He mutters to himself constantly and picks up stray pieces from the sidewalk as he makes his way to a solemn boarding house in a district of what appears to be somewhere around London. In the boarding house, Cleg is taken in by the gruff landlady (Lynn Redgrave) and is taken to his room. We learn that he is, in fact, in a halfway house and that he has just been released from a mental institution. As his character unravels and we learn more about “Spider,” we also learn more about his past.
Miranda Richardson, who also worked for free on the project, is Cleg’s mother/stepmother/alternate version of the landlady. She arrives as an inhabitant in Cleg’s imagination and in his version of reality. As he attempts to unravel the events of his childhood, he begins to learn and unlearn the truth all at once. When Cleg envisions his father (Gabriel Byrne), he puts together a puzzle of a terrible man responsible for the death of his mother. While the truth is different from Cleg’s version, we learn that his tendency to develop archetypes in his mind is the driving force behind his internal mythology. There is nothing in Cleg’s life that is known for sure and that uncertainty becomes the only certainty in Cronenberg’s interesting film.
For those accustomed to Cronenberg, this will be a treat. It is a different speed from many of his movies and it inhabits the usual territory with a bit of a different spin. The “enemy” is once again the mind, but this time the hallucinations are incredibly natural and believable. We find Cleg’s version of the truth to be eerie but believable, which provides ultimate sympathy to “Spider” before the truth sets us free of the confines of his flawed narrative. Cronenberg unfolds this beautifully, using everything from Howard Shore’s haunting score to the emptiness of London streets to manipulate this portrait of a man lost in the recesses of his own mind.
Spider is a haunting piece, doubtlessly, and it may prove to be more distancing and abandoning than many films. There is little to connect with here and most of Cronenberg’s movie feels like an exercise in observation, as though the events are occurring in a giant fishbowl. There is a purpose to this approach, however, and most of Spider is highly effective as a disturbing glance into the mind of Cleg. Fiennes is terrific in the role, too, and proves that his acting ability is right up there with the true greats of our time. Miranda Richardson steals the show, however, with her triple play performance. She is truly great.
Overall, Spider is worth seeing for fans of Cronenberg’s work. It is a truly disturbing little movie, one that unfolds slowly and with purpose. Everything about it is well done, yet there is something lacking in the big picture that leaves the final product oddly forgettable. Fiennes, Richardson, and the rest of the cast are all on point and Cronenberg’s direction is technically flawless. Spider is still a good film, but it lacks some of what makes Cronenberg’s other films so uniquely grand.
