Spider (Spanish: Araña) is a 2019 political thriller film directed by Andrés Wood and written by Guillermo Calderón. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. It was selected as the Chilean entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. It is a co-production between Chile, Argentina and Brazil.
Contents
Plot
Inés (22), along with her husband Justo (28) and their best friend Gerardo (23), are members of Fatherland and Liberty, a violent paramilitary group with nationalist and neo-fascist ideological orientation that committed multiple terrorist acts with the purpose of overthrowing the left-wing government of the Popular Unity in the early 1970s. The title of the film refers to the emblem used by this group, which is commonly known as "The Spider" or "The Black Spider" in reference to the similarity between the logo and those arachnids.
In the midst of this struggle, they become embroiled in a risky and passionate love triangle. Together, they commit a political crime that changes the history of the country and, in the process, involves them in a great betrayal that separates them forever.
Forty years later, Gerardo reappears. He is not only driven by revenge, but also by his youthful obsession to revive the nationalist cause. The police catch him with a war arsenal in his house, and Inés, now a powerful and influential businesswoman, will do everything in her power to prevent Gerardo from revealing her past or that of her husband.
Cast
María Valverde as Young Inés
Mercedes Morán as Inés
Marcelo Alonso as Gerardo
Pedro Fontaine as young Gerardo
Felipe Armas as Justo
Gabriel Urzúa as young Justo
María Gracia Omegna as Nadia
Mario Horton as José
Benjamin Westfall as Doctor Sepulveda
Jaime Vadell as Don Ricardo
Caio Blat as Antonio
Martín Salcedo as José's brother
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 10 critics' reviews are positive.