Lauren B. Hellerstein

Tarantulas and Other Conveniences (1999) is one of those movies that just kind of grabs you by the collar and drags you into its weird little world, whether you’re ready for it or not. The story circles around a main character who’s... well, let’s just say they’ve got more issues than Vogue. There’s this whole thing about their fear of spiders. Not just, “Oh, ew, a spider!”—we’re talking full-blown, life-derailing arachnophobia. But in the middle of all that, you’ve got these slices of everyday life that are somehow both hilarious and a little sad. You’ll meet a cast of supporting oddballs—neighbors who overshare, family members with their own baggage, and a boss who might be the real monster in the story, depending on how you look at it. The movie isn’t afraid to get a little surreal, either. There are dream sequences, some pretty trippy visuals, and scenes that blur the line between what’s actually happening and what’s just in someone’s head. It’s not all doom and gloom, though. There’s a surprising amount of warmth tucked into the cracks, like people trying to help each other out, even if they’re a little clueless. And the script has some wild humor—sometimes dark, sometimes just plain awkward, but always sharp. The film doesn’t tie everything up with a neat little bow, but honestly, that’s kind of the point. Life’s messy. Tarantulas and Other Conveniences just leans into the chaos and makes it work.