A Thrilling Manhunt for a Killer

The Cannes jury winner is a hot contender for the Oscars’ international category. Here’s our take on Denmark’s impressive crime-thriller.

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There are many hot contenders for the upcoming Oscars’ international category, and Denmark’s entry is no exception. Based on a horrific true story, the film’s eerie title derives from the real-life murderer who was nicknamed the “Spider Killer” in the press, as 16 sex workers died in the holy city of Mashhad, Iran, from the year 2000 to 2001. At once a blend of crime procedural and psychological thriller — which has become quite the acclaimed genre — the Persian-language feature is directed by Ali Abbasi, who is known for his 2018 film Border which won Cannes’ Un Certain Regard award. Holy Spider follows Saeed Hanaei (played by Mehdi Bajestani), the serial killer who targeted Mashhad sex workers under the belief that he was cleansing the streets of sinners. The film also focuses on a fictional female journalist who descends into the city’s dark underbelly to investigate him. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who plays the journalist, rightfully won the festival’s Best Actress Award.

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The artistry is first-class throughout. The way all of this is presented makes us feel closer to every character, so we can better consider how we are the same or different, in our social context. Dangerously determined journalist versus homicidal maniac has been done before, but the way the plotline is structured distinguishes it as a unique film in many regards. Here’s our take.

Based On A True Story

The gritty, in-your-face handheld camerawork certainly helps to tell a story that actually happened. As we follow female journalist Rahimi (Ebrahimi) who travels to the Iranian holy city, the body count mounts and Rahimi draws closer to exposing his crimes. And that’s where Holy Spider quickly becomes unique: At first, we think the film might become a murder mystery, but director Abbasi quickly reveals to us who the killer is. Plus, we see the opportunity for justice grow harder to attain as the “Spider Killer” is embraced by many as a hero. To that end, the film also becomes a unique moral and social dilemma, in addition to the thrills of tracking a serial killer.

No one wants to be killed or suspected, though some openly praise the killer’s illegal activity. In addition to the journalist, we accompany some scene-stealing side characters, such as local reporter Sharifi (the excellent Arash Ashtiani) who helps Rahimi upon her arrival. Much of the film is an intimate visit with the journalist and the killer whose activities are being investigated, and the suspense increases. After a while, the audience is led to suspect that the civil and clerical authorities might be OK with wholesale murder, under certain circumstances.

“There was a good chunk of the population that supported him. I thought, where else in the world could you commit murder, and people claim you are innocent because of ‘religious duty,'” director Ali Abbasi once told The Hollywood Reporter. “A number of people at the time thought he would get off or get away, that the government would help him escape, give him a new identity, etc. But in the end, the conspiracy theory part didn’t interest me as much as the moral existential part of the story. Like, how can this happen? How can a man kill so many people and get away with it, while still having a functioning life with a wife and three kids, neighbors and all that, and how can people react the way they did?”

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Riveting Performances By The Hero And Villain

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The portrayals are first-rate, as it’s evidence enough that the serial killer Saeed Hanaei has such a complicated range of emotions and beliefs. We see his family life. We see his many supporters. We see how integral of a role he plays in his community’s day-to-day operations (aside from his heinous murdering of sex workers, of course). The way Hanaei walks with a super cocky strut down the prison halls and through the courtroom during his trial is enough to make your skin crawl. And we’re likely to see star Zar Amir Ebrahimi in future Hollywood projects, I’m certain. She nails the many nuances of her tough-nosed reporter character, and her dry humor even brings some comic relief to this otherwise dark story. The Iranian actress grew up in Tehran, where she received her Performing Arts University degree, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for her. Ebrahimi’s leading performance in Holy Spider should be considered by Academy voters as this award season continues.

As for director Abbasi, Holy Spider arrives in the midst of several new chapters in his career coming together at once. He has been developing a gender-swapped adaptation of Hamlet starring Noomi Rapace in the lead role, while also directing episodes of HBO’s upcoming video game adaptation The Last of Us. But with Holy Spider, the acclaimed writer-director successfully unveils a gripping crime thriller and daring indictment of a society in which rough justice is routinely a fact of life. It’s not to be missed.

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