The movie Winona Ryder calls “a masterpiece”
A Hollywood darling of the 1990s, Winona Ryder helped to make independent cinema thrive in the final decade of the 20th century, working alongside such stars as Johnny Depp, Christian Slater, Keanu Reeves, Gary Oldman and Daniel Day-Lewis. She remains an industry icon, too, largely thanks to her work on the Netflix series Stranger Things, where she plays Joyce Byers.
Always captivating, a touch rebellious, and a little bit haunted, Ryder is the movie industry’s classic cool girl. She was more than an actor in the films that defined an entire age; she embodied the spirit, the wall poster, and the inspiration board long before such things were ever a thing. Ryder could make you believe every word—even the ones not said—with her sharp edge and wide, inquisitive eyes, which could shift between vulnerability and rebellion in the span of a single breath.
Rising to fame in the late 1980s, almost solely as a result of her appearance in the Tim Burton movie Beetlejuice, co-starring Alec Baldwin and Michael Keaton, Ryder made a significant impression as the loveable goth Lydia. The innovative coming-of-age flick Heathers followed, telling the story of two lovers whose killing spree sparks an unlikely high school trend.
Another Burton collaboration in the form of 1990s Edward Scissorhands elevated Ryder’s profile further before esteemed directors came calling throughout the remainder of the decade, including Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Jim Jarmusch and Woody Allen. By the time the new millennium rolled around, arguably, Ryder had already burned out as a Hollywood star, with her only two Oscar nominations coming in the ‘90s.
And she was very comfortable being herself. It’s magical like that. In contrast to those who sought perfection, Ryder delighted in the unconventional, the broken, and the exquisitely imperfect. Without ever sacrificing the genuine charisma that made her an indelible star, she effortlessly transitioned from independent cred to blockbuster renown.
Thanks to her contributions to ‘90s cinema, however, as well as her work on the sci-fi 1980s throwback Stranger Things, Ryder has magnetised quite the following of fans. While promoting the new series of the show back in 2022, Ryder discussed some of her favourite movies, including one she considered to be a “masterpiece”.
Featuring in a video alongside series co-stars Sadie Sink, Caleb McLaughlin and David Harbour, the group discussed some of their favourite Leonardo DiCaprio flicks. While the likes of Christopher Nolan’s Inception and Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island were discussed, Ryder opted for something far less recognisable.
“Kiss of the Spider Woman,” she stated, making reference to the 1985 film directed by Héctor Babenco, “I love the way they told the story, which is set in one prison cell, but the imagination tells this whole other, it’s just a masterpiece”.
Elsewhere, the American actor names her favourite movie musical, opting for the Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise film West Side Story. Winning ten Academy Awards, including ‘Best Picture’, West Side Story follows two young lovers who get caught up in gang warfare in New York City. The 1961 movie was later remade by none other than Steven Spielberg in 2021.
Take a look at Ryder discussing some of her favourite movies, including the one she calls a “masterpiece” below.
