After a gentle kiss and a promise of , “ I ’ ll be back before you wake ,” the young nocturnal streetwalker roams dimly lit streets searching for customers and a hashish cure-all in Ali Abbasi ’ s double-whammy thriller about societal aberrations . Before the break of day , that mother ’ s promise is broken . A zealot roams Mashhad , Iran ’ s second-largest religious destination city intent on purging the impure to right societal wrongs . Time and again the nightrider lures prey into his web on his scooter , later dumping the tightly cloaked bodies . A passing car ’ s headlights highlight the killer ’ s unique ring . In another area of Mashhad , the hard-working family man Saeed ( Mehdi Bajestani ) finds stability through prayer , and time with wife Fatima ( Forouzan Jamshidnejadx ) and children . As more women disappear , the Iranian media frenzy increases ; the killer is monikered “ Spider Killer .”
Arriving from Istanbul with her nose bent to the story , Rahimi ( Zar Amir Ebrahimi ) is prompted by Sharifi ( Arash Ashtiani ) to wear her headscarf — to do otherwise is an effrontery to the morality police . Concurrently , the serial killer loses control ; the body count mounts . Ironically , the victims ’ trade and the police mindset precludes investigating thoroughly . Rahimi takes more risks , Sharifi tries to keep up , and together they realize the web ’ s complexity . It is spun so tightly it protects Spider Killer , and the stakes are high . Inconceivably , Spider ’ s family and friends rally round . One said , “ He did the right thing . He should have continued .” Shockingly , the court ’ s ultraconservative faction lackadaisically regard the prisoner ’ s declaration of blamelessness , of being merely a ( selfappointed ) enforcer against the impure , with Mohammed ’ s approval , no less . Tirelessly , Rahimi and Sharifi investigate , along with the murdered women ’ s families . Nevertheless , the hardliners ’ pro-morality stance seems indomitable .
A student during Saeed Hanae ’ s murder spree in 2000- 2001 — 16 women were killed before he was caught — Iranian director Ali Abbasi ’ s aim was to rectify the then-perplexing societal and civil / legal response . Abbasi and Afshin Kamran Bahrami ’ s screenplay creates the strong female journalist to counterbalance male violence and “ underline the complexity of the issue and the stakes on different sides , especially on behalf of the victims .” The policeman tells Rahimi , “ Know your place , Miss !” It is about the deep-rooted misogyny within Iranian society , which is not specifically religious or political but cultural . The cast is brilliant — Zar Amir-Ebrahimi won the Best Actress award at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival , and production values excel . Kudos to Nadim Carlsen ’ s night cinematography predatoriness , and Martin Dirkov ’ s score . Holy Spider is Denmark ’ s entry for Best International Feature Film at the Ninety-Fifth Academy Awards . 116 minutes ( Marinell Haegelin )
Holy Spider
*****
Denmark / Germany / France / Sweden 2022 Opening January 12 , 2023
© Alamode Film
Directed by : Ali Abbasi Writing credits : Ali Abbasi , Afshin Kamran Bahrami Principal actors : Zar Amir Ebrahimi , Mehdi Bajestani , Arash Ashtiani , Sara Fazilat
42 In Hamburg