Holy Spider

[Matt2112]

Some films that aren't new cinema releases deserve their own thread, and this 'Midnight Movie Club' watch has to be one of them.

The first point to make is this is an 18-rated film and is so for very good reasons; for instance, I thought that graphic depictions of fellatio were technically confined to 'R18' rated pornos, but this hasn't actually been the case for the best part of 25 years.

Anyway, I don't want to make too much of a very brief sequence which is in a very particular and justifiable context: a prostitute trying to make ends meet in Iran, of course one of the most oppressive countries in the world for women.  But that's theocracies for you.

There is so much to say about this film that it's difficult to know where to start - or finish; so I'll just try to summarise in bullet points:

- directed by Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi, and based on actual events, the story follows a female journalist on the trail of a serial killer of female sex workers in the Iranian holy city of Mashhad (it was actually filmed in Jordan for obvious reasons);

- the killer is revealed early on as a family man seemingly suffering some form of PTSD and guilt at not being martyred along with his fellow soldiers during a tour of duty, hence he embarks on a divinely-inspired murder spree to rid the streets of corrupt women (echoes of 'Yorkshire Ripper' Peter Sutcliffe here);

- there are various themes brilliantly explored by Abbasi, chiefly how religious jurisprudence in an Islamic theocracy can appear to favour male murderers rather than their female victims, especially in the 'court of public opinion';

- Mehdi Bajestani's performance as the killer is remarkable; it's chillingly 'normal' and naturalistic;

- there is an extraordinary coda which is probably one the most emotionally gut-punching scenes I've witnessed since I saw the unrelentingly grim and harrowing film The Painted Bird.

This is highly, highly recommended - but prepare yourself accordingly.

Rating: ****