Jennifer Lopez is stepping back into the spotlight with Kiss of the Spider Woman, a new musical drama directed by Bill Condon. The film, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, pays tribute to the golden age of Hollywood musicals while telling a story of love, politics, and escapism.
Lopez stars as Ingrid Luna, a glamorous screen siren who lives on in the fantasies of two prisoners, Luis (Tonatiuh) and Valentin (Diego Luna), locked in an Argentinian cell. The movie adapts the 1976 novel by Manuel Puig and the Tony-winning stage musical by Terrence McNally, John Kander, and Fred Ebb.
Set against the backdrop of political repression, the story pivots between dazzling song-and-dance sequences and the emotional life of the inmates. Luis, who clings to the world of film to survive, escapes through his devotion to Ingrid’s character, while Valentin, a hardened revolutionary, begins to see the power of art as political fuel.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life,” Lopez said during a tearful Sundance Q&A. “The reason I even wanted to be in this business was because my mom would sit me in front of the TV when West Side Story came on. I was just mesmerised.”
The trailer teases some impressive choreography, charged duets, and a striking contrast between Ingrid’s world and the prisoners’ bleak reality. With Kiss of the Spider Woman, Condon appears to be riding the wave of the genre’s revival following last year’s blockbuster success of Wicked.
Kiss of the Spider Woman is set to open in theaters October 10
Published – June 06, 2025 10:37 am IST
