HOLY SPIDER

It isn't until the final act, when director Ali Abbasi confronts the hypocritical Iranian regime head-on, that Holy Spider becomes more than a rote serial killer flick.

Holy Spider is this year's Oscar entry for Denmark, even though the movie takes place entirely in Iran and is spoken in Persian.

The subject matter - the true tale of a mass murderer of prostitutes who was brought down by a female journalist - will probably push the film to the top of the screener pile for many an Academy member, but I doubt it will be enough to secure Holy Spider a nomination.

Firstly, the tale itself is handled without much innovation: the picture is the kind of grim procedural that has been brought to the screen umpteen times, with the narrative switching between the journalist's point of view and that of the mass murderer throughout. Secondly, the misogynistic deeds of the antagonist are portrayed with such emotional detachment it's tough to fully emphasize with the victims, while the journalist's efforts to catch him don't generate nearly enough suspense.

It isn't until the final act, when director Ali Abbasi confronts the hypocritical Iranian regime head-on, that the movie becomes more than a rote serial killer flick and Holy Spider justifies its own existence to some extent.

release: 2022

director: Ali Abbasi

starring: Mehdi Bajestani, Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, Arash Ashtiani, Forouzan Jamshidnejad