Holy Spider (2022) (Persian Language)- BFI London Film Festival 2022

Review

116min

Genre:       Crime, Drama, Thriller

Director:     Ali Abbasi

Cast:         Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, Mehdi Bajestani, Arash Ashtiani…and more

Writers:     Ali Abbasi and Afshin Kamran Bahrami

-Synopsis-

In the streets of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad, a dogged female journalist plunges into the dark underbelly of society to track down an elusive serial killer preying on the city’s streetwalking sex workers, only to find herself in a struggle against a system stacked against her and his victims, in this moody crime drama and tense thriller from the writer/director of ‘Border’.

After captivating the LFF faithful and discerning audiences with his bizarrely bold and unique 2018 Swedish surrealist feature ‘Border’, Iranian-born Swedish filmmaker Ali Abbasi returns to his roots and the dark recent history of his country of birth to tell a socially reflective serial murder story with a difference, plunging into the underworld of a closed society to tell some uncomfortable truths about it, while painting a mundane portrait of a predator with a cause and a willing arena in which to play his evil games.

Zar Amir-Ebrahimi stars as ‘Rahimi’, a tenacious reporter unjustly marred by a past she can’t seem to escape but travelled to Mashhad determined to crack the story and track down a mysterious ritual murderer at any cost . . . despite the worst efforts of the seemingly uninterested authorities. ‘Saeed’ (Mehdi Bajestani) meanwhile is a troubled middle-aged family man husband to ‘Fatima’ (Forouzan Jamshidnejad) and father to ‘Ali’ (Mesbah Taleb), who moonlights as a ruthless slayer of the city’s prostitutes, unable to control his murderous compulsion to rid Mashhad of vice. Two disparate paths destined to cross and lead to a legal and cultural battle for the soul of the city, fought against the backdrop of a culture as willing to justify his crimes as it is to punish them.

It’s safe to say that ‘Holy Spider’ is not your average serial killer flick. What might at first look like a standard crime drama and psychological thriller is also Abbasi using the real Saeed Hanaei case to tell a wider story about the misogyny ingrained in Iranian culture, told through the prism of the fictional reporter at its heart serving as the embodiment of the Persian women’s struggle to thrive in the sexism and survive against it . . . with some not fortunate enough to do the latter. Needless to say, the film has already been condemned by Iranian authorities which is unsurprising given how they are generally depicted. But one look at the headlines of the day and the huge protests in Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini whilst in the custody of the ‘Morality Police’ will prove what a prescient movie this is.

It’s no surprise then that ‘Holy Spider’ was shot primarily in Jordan, with a minimalist ethos except for a few night-time flourishes but with plenty of atmosphere throughout captured by cinematographer Nadim Carlsen (Holiday, Border), while the mood and tension are complemented by an understated but effective score from another regular Abbasi collaborator Martin Dirkov (Shelley, Border). In what is essentially a Scandinavian-led pan-European production in the Persian-language, with Iranian stars.

Yet despite its socially conscious core and region-specific nature, ‘Holy Spider’ still has many of the qualities of a traditional crime drama, not to mention those of an investigative and journalistic tale and a psychological study unfolding at times like an Iranian neo-noir, but without so much of the mystery as the killer is revealed virtually from the start and the audience are as familiar with him as they are with the protagonist hunting him. But by setting the story in Mashhad Abbasi is not only staying true to the shocking real case which inspired it—while providing social commentary on a closed ultra-traditional society and a woman’s place in it—he’s also taking a seldom seen cinematic trip into the Iranian underworld, giving us a rare glimpse into vice and violence in the Islamic republic.

This is a lucid, sobering minimalist drama with only faint surrealist flourishes when Abbasi tries to place the audience in the mind of a deeply troubled killer, possibly scarred by PTSD and with a dual personality—the more troubling of the two getting increasingly frenzied and bloodthirsty and too easily understood, even lauded by considerable sections of the society in which it flourishes.

It takes a brave and committed actor like Mehdi Bajestani then to bring a notorious character like this to life with restraint, honesty, and humanity frankly, masterfully encapsulating the banality of evil which is so often the case with serial killers. Indeed even taking the role in the first place risks consequences back home in Iran. But it’s not as bold or brave as a woman fronting this film, and Zar Amir-Ebrahimi gives a sterling performance as the determined reporter stoic in the face of resistance and peril, always on the edge but never willing to quit.

Whilst ‘Holy Spider’ may not trouble classics of the serial killer subgenre like ‘The Silence of the Lambs’, ‘Se7en’ or ‘Zodiac’ in the mystery-drama, thriller, or style stakes, its unique cultural perspective coupled with an anchoring in the truth and a commitment to say something about society makes it compelling in its own right, and possibly the most socially relevant of this type of crime drama you’ll see.

The Bottom Line…

A skilful measured blend of tense true crime drama, restrained character study and moody serial killer thriller mixed with daring social commentary on modern Iranian society, ‘Holy Spider’ will captivate an audience and provide plenty of macabre food for thought without quite enthralling, but does more than enough to solidify Ali Abbasi’s place in the new generation of must-see Nordic filmmakers . . . and one who boldly bridges cultures to boot.

‘Holy Spider’ has no confirmed UK or US dates yet.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Zodiac (2007)

When Northern California becomes terrorised by a mysterious serial killer preying on the public and taunting the authorities in the late 1960s, a San Francisco cartoonist becomes obsessed with the crimes and turns amateur detective, roping in the real cop on the case and the staff at his paper on the road to ultimately nowhere, as David Fincher crafts his take on the still unsolved Zodiac Killer murders.

Directed by David Fincher and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. among others.

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