The Film (4/5)

    I was having a conversation with a friend last week, and the subject of favorite labels came up, and I find it impossible to name one favorite these days with so much great content coming out on Blu-ray for cult fans. However, I did tell him that my favorite label for international oddities and obscurities without a doubt was Mondo Macabro. They are a label that seems to perfectly curate their library with each addition to it, and have managed to introduce me to some of weirdest, wildest, and most wonderful films that international cinema has to offer.  This month they've reached into the depths of Latvian cinema to introduce the Blu-ray buying public to Vasili Mass' Spider.

    Spider is sort of a bizarre take on an Alice in Wonderland story.  It follows a young woman Vita, who agrees to model for a famed artist named Albert. He wants her to be his vision of the Virgin Mary. As it turns out Albert is darkly perverse, and begins to affect Vita in bizarre ways. She begins to have visions of being raped by a giant spider. Her Mother soon sees the change in her daughter, and pulls her out of the situation and takes her to the country, but the darkness is not far behind.

    I cannot say that Spider is a truly unique experience. It definitely falls into the female coming-of-age category, but would definitely feel at home next to something akin to Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. The film is grounded by a solid, but bizarre lead performance Aurelija Anuzhite  who offers the naivety the  part requires, but at the same time. There is a bizarre dichotomy between her verbal and physical performance, that is obviously part of the film as written as shot. Vita has nightmares of the spider and being raped, and offers up verbally that she is afraid. However, her facial expressions and body language to not reflect that fear.  The film's only negative point is the pacing which at times can be a bit slow. Other than that it has some wonderfully bizarre and occasionally horrifying visuals with which to recommend it on.

Audio/Video (4/5)

     Mondo Macabro presents Spider in a 1:33:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer. Everything looks solid, and reflects the nature of the film/production. That means that there is some softness throughout, as the film occasionally has a washed out, bright look to it, but mostly we get excellent detail, and color and a stable natural grain structure.

    Audio is presented in an LPCM 2.0 track in Latvian that again sounds clear and concise in representing the sound of the film. I did not detect any issues.

Extras (2.5/5)

    Extras include a 30 minute interview with the director, and a 3 minute TV piece that goes behind the scenes of the film.

Overall

    Spider is another interesting addition to the Mondo Macabro library. The Blu-ray looks and sounds excellent, and has a nice slate of extras. RECOMMENDED.