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Spiderheadbegins and ends with scenes of laughter the first creepy and surreal, the last forlorn and ambiguous.
In between lies a tonal high-wire act of a movie, by design.
It all feels quite congenial and collegial.
Abnestis door is always open, inmates are served hors doeuvres, and everybody seems happy and calm.
Theres even a communal kitchen, where warden Steve himself keeps his ice cream.
Hes also quite funny.
Every one of Abnestis humorous asides and there are plenty of them furthers our vision of his sociopathy.
Part of the pleasure of watchingSpiderheadis simply waiting to see what Hemsworth will do next.
They havent just been condemned for their crimes; they have condemned themselves.
They are consumed with guilt, having caused death and ruin through their exercise of free will.
We dont get flashbacks for her, but we do wonder whats lurking beneath her cheery, playful facade.
This world has lost its moorings, and yet it remains highly ordered.
Theres something unusually pertinent about that idea.
Its a cautionary tale about the reality we allwishwe could be living in.
When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man.
