Holy Spider (2022)

Director: Ali Abbasi. Cast: Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, Mehdi Bajestani, Arash Ashtiani. 116 min. Crime/Thriller.

• Of course, on the heels of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement in Iran, comes Holy Spider, based on the true story of a serial killer who in the '90s was targeting prostitutes in the holy city of Mashhad, and the female reporter who went to great lengths to expose him (I was in medical school at the time, when he was glamorized in the tabloids as the "Night Bat").
• While the Islamic Republic government of Iran is based in and thrives on misogyny, Holy Spider goes far deeper than that. It shows the struggles of merely being a woman in a theocracy, and how an act as simple as a lone female checking into a hotel is considered an act of defiance. How favorably a religious man is treated when he proves he's one of them ... but how even he cannot be sure of his fate when his acts ever so slightly undermine the system. How the simplest physical form of friendly affection (a kiss) is frowned upon, and how the act of sex becomes the direct antithesis of that other concept known as love. And surely, how the execution of violence by the self-righteous is supported, admired, and coveted by the religious community of a "holy" city, and that violence is passed onto next generations.
• Zar Amir-Ebrahimi won the Best Actress Award at this year's Cannes Film Festival, for her portrayal of the reporter. Amir-Ebrahimi, once an actress working in Iran, was banned from work and was forced to flee the country, after she was accused of appearing in a leaked sex tape (she denies the accusation). While at times difficult to keep your eyes on the screen during the protracted death scenes, watch this movie and come to believe her: she is a victim of the Holy Spider. 

MoGo's rating: 8/10

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