Review: 'Holy Spider' is a solid crime procedural, and a moving story of injustice against women in Iran.
One could imagine the American version of “Holy Spider” — an intriguing true-crime procedural, in which a tough reporter tries to solve a serial killer’s crime spree — and it would be solid, if unremarkable, entertainment.
However, because “Holy Spider” is based on a true story set in Iran, and the serial killer is motivated by God and his Muslim faith, director Ali Abbasi’s film takes on a whole new level of fascination.
In the holy city of Mashhad, a killer roams the streets after dark. He picks up sex workers on the street, takes them somewhere quiet, strangles them with their own headscarves, leaves their bodies, and then calls a local reporter, Sharifi (Arash Ashatiani), who’s been covering the case.
The Mashhad police are under pressure, from city leaders and the ruling clerics, to solve the case. The pressure grows when a female reporter from Tehran, Arezoo Rahimi (played by Zar Amir Ebrahimi), arrives on assignment. The vibe is reminiscent of “In the Heat of the Night,” another story of a person from the big city trying to get a job done in the face of a repressive local culture.
Abbasi, who co-wrote with Afshin Kamran Bahrami, doesn’t hide the identity of the killer. No, the film introduces him, a construction worker named Saeed (Mehdi Bajestani), early on — and captures in sometimes disturbing detail how Saeed carries out his killings, and how his workload is escalating.
The structure of the story is like “Columbo,” where the mystery isn’t who the killer is, but how Rahimi, helped by Sharifi and hindered by the sexist cops, is going to prove he did the crimes. Along the way, Abbasi plants some biting commentary about the misogyny and injustice baked into Iranian’s law enforcement system — and how many regular folks aren’t particularly bothered by the horrific deaths of numerous prostitutes. (The movie was shot in Jordan, because it’s highly unlikely the restrictive Iranian government would have allowed a film so critical of the culture to be made there.)
The prime reason to watch “Holy Spider” is the performance of Ebrahimi, who perfectly captures Rahimi’s weariness and anger at the injustice Iranian women face, and the casual acceptance of violence against women forced by circumstance into sex work. (Interesting fact: Ebrahimi was hired as Abbasi’s casting director, and only took the movie’s lead role when the actress she picked dropped out. Ebrahimi went on to win the best-actress prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival — and, with it, many death threats after the Iranian government condemned the film. Ebrahimi is starring in the Australian film “Shadya,” which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, which starts next week.)
“Holy Spider” is an absorbing true-crime procedural and a sharp commentary on Iranian society, but first and foremost it’s an elegantly crafted cat-and-mouse game between a murderer and a journalist trying to stop him. It’s a movie that creates the kind of tension that doesn’t need translation.
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‘Holy Spider’
★★★1/2
Opens Friday, January 13, at the Broadway Centre Cinemas (Salt Lake City). Not rated, but probably R for bloody violence and strong sexual content. Running time: 116 minutes; in Farsi with subtitles.