Spider (2002)

In the heart of Britain, we meet Dennis Clegg, a man navigating the labyrinth of his mental state after being released from a psychiatric hospital. This enigmatic character, affectionately nicknamed "Spider" by his mother due to her enchanting spider tales, has been battling the gnarled tendrils of acute schizophrenia for two decades. Now in his thirties, he finds himself in a halfway house run by the sharp-tongued Mrs. Wilkinson, a sanctuary for those grappling with their own mental echoes. Despite his still somewhat catatonic state, Spider's fascination with webs and spider silk endures, mirroring the intricate tangles of his troubled mind. Unspoken and unseen, his thoughts spiral back to his childhood's labyrinth, reweaving the past with threads of distorted familial relationships, particularly the sexualized image of his mother in his working-class parents' dynamic. Spider's recollections are a spectator's view of his own life, an unsettling externalization that places him as a powerless bystander in his own narrative. As his past unfolds, his grip on reality becomes increasingly fragile, threatening his delicate existence in the outside world. This externalization extends to his encounters with other women, such as Yvonne, a regular at his father's frequented pub, whom he overlays with his mother's image. 'Spider' is a haunting exploration of a mind teetering on the edge of sanity, a story that invites its audience to experience the disorienting world of a man struggling to untangle the webs of his past while trying to weave his place in the present.

Spider is a drama movie featuring Ralph Fiennes and directed by David Cronenberg.

It is possible to buy Spider on Amazon Video, Apple TV and Vudu.