Holy Spider
Ali Abbasi, Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, 2022o
In the northern Iranian metropolis of Mashhad, which is under the dictates of religion 24 hours a day because of its sanctuaries, a murderer of prostitutes is on the loose. An experienced female reporter follows the heels of the murderer, who in turn acts as a guardian of morality. Orchestrated by a bigoted public, a struggle to the death ensues. - Based on true events.
he best Iranian films are currently being shot abroad. Under the censorship of the shaky Mullah regime, this is hardly possible otherwise. For his thriller, the director Ali Abasi, who lives in exile in Scandinavia, takes up the real case of a prostitute murderer who almost became a popular hero in the northern Iranian metropolis of Mashhad in 2001 by selling his gruesome deeds as a fight against moral decay. Abasi uses the fictional character of a courageous journalist who follows the murderer's heels. A relentless portrait of a society in the stranglehold of religious tyrants, leading to pervasive hypocrisy and brutalisation. The storytelling, staging and casting of the film, shot in Jordan, are flawless: another quantum leap in Iranian cinema's fight against the bigoted Islamist patriarchs.
Andreas FurlerGalleryo
