Exclusive: The 2022 Cannes Film Festival is right around the corner (things kick off on May 17), and that means the Olympics of filmmaking with the best filmmakers worldwide competing for the coveted Palme d’Or. One of those filmmakers will be Iranian-Danish film director and screenwriter Ali Abbasi, whose new film “Holy Spider” will play in the official competition section during the festival.
It won’t be a light affair either and could potentially be one of the more controversial titles given its subject matter and the religious sensitivities around it. One of the grittiest depictions of Iran ever seen on film, the movie is incredibly dark and troubled, centering on a religious pilgrim murdering sex workers in Iran’s holiest city and the female journalist trying to track him down.
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Starring Iranian actress Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, she is known for “Nargess” (2006) and “Tehran Taboo” (2017), which screened in the International Critics’ Week section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.
Here’s the synopsis:
Female journalist Rahimi (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) travels to the Iranian holy city of Mashhad to investigate a serial killer who believes he is doing the work of God, cleansing the streets of sinners by murdering sex workers. As the body count mounts and Rahimi draws closer to exposing his crimes, the opportunity for justice grows harder to attain as the ‘Spider Killer’ is embraced by many as a hero. Based on the horrific true story of serial killer Saeed Hanaei, acclaimed writer-director Ali Abbasi (Border) unveils a gripping crime thriller and a daring indictment of a society in which rough justice is routinely a fact of life.
Abbasi is known for “Border,” the fantasy trolls-in-love Swedish movie which played in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and won the top prize, hence the upgrade to competition selection (read our review here).
“My intention was not to make a serial killer movie. I wanted to make a movie about a serial killer society,” Abbasi said in a statement. “It is about the deep-rooted misogyny within Iranian society, which is not specifically religious or political but cultural. Misogyny everywhere breeds through the habits of people. In Iran, we have a tradition of hatred towards women, and it often rears its ugly head. In [the killer’s] story, this is present in its purest way. That makes it necessary to show different perspectives that demonstrate a range of aspects of opinions in Iranian society; those on his side and those who oppose him.”
Details about this fascinating film immediately fire this one up to the top of our anticipated list. Check out some new exclusive photos of “Holy Spider” below. 5/13/22 Update: The first clip from the film has arrived.
