Spider Lilies - Lesbian Movie Review - Spider Lilies

Dangerous Flowers

Jade spends her days exciting the fantasies of her online viewers. Yet, she longs for deeper connection, for the memory of feelings aroused by her childhood crush, Takeko, a tattoo artist, with whom she has lost touch. In the hopes of reawakening their love, Jade finds Takeko and asks her for a tattoo of a spider lily. Aware of the flower’s dangerous nature and hidden meanings including a painful family secret, Takeko refuses. However, she finds it increasingly difficult to resist Jade’s persistent advances and to ignore her long dormant desires.

Dream, Memory, Longing

What do we choose to remember? What do we choose to forget? What part do dreams play in our own escape? How do we preserve our memories? The film poses these questions and many more. We watch as Jade and Takeko attempt the answers, to still their longings.

New Crush Alert!

Well, hello Isabell Leong! Where were you when I was getting my tattoo? Her onscreen presence, her butch façade, and those eyes that revealed such a passionate well mesmerized me. A subtle, stunning performance, she inhabited the role and heart of an artist, lent further understanding to what it means to be inked and etched forever, the desires and wants inherent in that choice.

My Rating: 5 stars.

If you read our Lesbian Life movie reviews (thanks, Dad!), then you’ll know I love to criticize lesbian movies. I love to boo aloud at my screen and absolutely rip them apart. Why, you ask? Basically, I think far too many lesbian movies, in a word, suck. I often beg readers/directors/distributors to demand more of the films by and about our community. Spider Lilies is a breathtaking exception. Its lyricism, beauty, believable story of love and desire resonated, lingers. Maybe I’m just high on Takeko or wanting another tattoo.