Narrative Feature | Denmark/Germany/Sweden/France | 2022 | Persian | 117 minutes
Strong-willed female journalist Rahimi (Cannes Best Actress winner Zar Amir Ebrahimi) travels to the Iranian holy city of Mashad to investigate a serial killer targeting the city’s sex workers in the name of God. Her quest for justice is complicated when the fanatical “Spider Killer” is heralded by many as a hero. This expertly crafted crime thriller subverts and upends the genre with a tale that spins its own web of duplicity and bureaucracy within the frailty of human morality. Loosely based on a true story, HIFF alum Ali Abbasi’s HOLY SPIDER is both a psychological game of cat and mouse and an incisive critique of institutionalized systemic misogyny.
This Utopia release is Denmark’s official selection for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards.
