Denmark's official Oscar submission for International Film (short-listed, but not nominated)
Ali Abbasi's grim HOLY SPIDER is based on a series of murders of prostitutes in Iran during 2000 and 2001. 16 women in total were killed. In Abbasi's telling, the focus is split between the murderer and a female journalist investigating the case.
Rahimi (Zar Amir-Ebrahimi) is a reporter who comes to the holy city of Mashhad to uncover what is behind these homicides. She is portrayed as a liberated crusader who lets nothing, including the shady local police, get in her way. Abbasi (who co-wrote with a pair of writers) hasn't structured the movie as a mystery. The killer, Saeed (a chilling Mehdi Bajestani), is revealed quite early on. A family man and war veteran, Saeed sees himself to be on a holy mission to rid his city of the evils of society embodied by these ladies of the night.
HOLY SPIDER is a movie of contradictions. It does ask the provocative question of whether murder is ever justified if the killer feels they are serving a higher purpose. Saeed is a father, but, he is exterminating some women who are parents as well (not to mention being daughters). He is also depicted as being a very religious disciple (the term fatwa is cited). Rahimi, the reporter, also crosses several journalistic lines - but, is she justified if it solves the case?
Those are all fascinating questions, but, Abbasi's filmmaking is disconcerting. He feels it necessary to detail several murders in gruesome, graphic detail. They often feel like they are from a grimy 70s grindhouse film. Further, he starts the movie showing one of the victims topless. Not in a sexual way at all, but, as she dresses getting ready to put her kid to bed. There is no story reason to do so; It feels as if its almost a provocation to Iranian and religious authorities who might see the film (on cue, HOLY SPIDER has been condemned by those very figures). Abbasi also takes liberties with the facts of the case such as showing one of the murders taking place on 9/11 - even though Saeed had already been arrested by that date. Another provocation.
There is no question that the Spider murders is an important case. The current protests by Iranian women gives the movie added urgency. The acting and technical aspects are extremely well handled. Still, the viciousness and repetitiveness of the killing scenes never seem justified; Further, by showing them in such thorough detail, they take away some of the impact from a pair of climactic scenes later on. By then, the viewer is inured from any shock value. The ultimate contradiction here is whether Abbasi's choices do more to honor or to dishonor the victims.
Rahimi (Zar Amir-Ebrahimi) is a reporter who comes to the holy city of Mashhad to uncover what is behind these homicides. She is portrayed as a liberated crusader who lets nothing, including the shady local police, get in her way. Abbasi (who co-wrote with a pair of writers) hasn't structured the movie as a mystery. The killer, Saeed (a chilling Mehdi Bajestani), is revealed quite early on. A family man and war veteran, Saeed sees himself to be on a holy mission to rid his city of the evils of society embodied by these ladies of the night.
HOLY SPIDER is a movie of contradictions. It does ask the provocative question of whether murder is ever justified if the killer feels they are serving a higher purpose. Saeed is a father, but, he is exterminating some women who are parents as well (not to mention being daughters). He is also depicted as being a very religious disciple (the term fatwa is cited). Rahimi, the reporter, also crosses several journalistic lines - but, is she justified if it solves the case?
Those are all fascinating questions, but, Abbasi's filmmaking is disconcerting. He feels it necessary to detail several murders in gruesome, graphic detail. They often feel like they are from a grimy 70s grindhouse film. Further, he starts the movie showing one of the victims topless. Not in a sexual way at all, but, as she dresses getting ready to put her kid to bed. There is no story reason to do so; It feels as if its almost a provocation to Iranian and religious authorities who might see the film (on cue, HOLY SPIDER has been condemned by those very figures). Abbasi also takes liberties with the facts of the case such as showing one of the murders taking place on 9/11 - even though Saeed had already been arrested by that date. Another provocation.
There is no question that the Spider murders is an important case. The current protests by Iranian women gives the movie added urgency. The acting and technical aspects are extremely well handled. Still, the viciousness and repetitiveness of the killing scenes never seem justified; Further, by showing them in such thorough detail, they take away some of the impact from a pair of climactic scenes later on. By then, the viewer is inured from any shock value. The ultimate contradiction here is whether Abbasi's choices do more to honor or to dishonor the victims.