Holy Spider: Hard-hitting thriller about a journalist in Iran who tries to convict a prostitute killer in Mashhad.
Plot and background
A serial killer (Mehdi Bajestani) is making the rounds in the holy Iranian city of Mashhad, killing prostitutes in the name of God and quite rightly so, as he, a supposedly simple family man, finds. Journalist Rahimi (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) from the capital Tehran wants to track down the “spider killer”, as the media christen him, and encounters inactive, male-dominated authorities who do nothing while the criminal continues to strangle women to death with their own hijabs. A conviction of the killer seems increasingly unlikely as Rahimi discovers that many of the town’s residents celebrate the killer as a hero and liberator.
“Holy Spider” – background, cast, theatrical release
The thriller “Holy Spider” is based on the harrowing true crime case of the “Spider Killer” Saeed Hanaei, who murdered 16 prostitutes in Mashhad in northern Iran in the early 2000s. The Iranian-born director Ali Abbasi (“Border”) films the story as a gripping thriller. Holy Spider” celebrated its world premiere at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, where the film caused quite a stir. Especially in times of the ongoing protests in Iran since September 2022 after the murder of Jina Mahsa Amini, the story about the cruel femicides and the courageous journalist has a special weight. Iranian actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi was named “Best Actress” at Cannes for her role as journalist Rahimi, and “Holy Spider” has now made it onto the Oscar shortlist for “Best International Film” along with 15 other titles.
Holy Spider” will be shown in German cinemas from 12 January 2023.
