By Samia Islam
The film takes place in Mashhad, Iran – an Islamic holy city struggling with poverty, drought, and more concerningly, a serial killer at large. The people of the city are barely getting by, many resorting to selling and using drugs and prostitution to to make a living. The serial killer, called Spider Killer by locals, remains a dooming presence in the heart of the city.
“Holy Spider” opens with the point of view of a woman preparing for work in her apartment. The lighting all throughout her perspective was dark and eerie, as she said goodbye to her sleeping son and stepped out into the noisy, fearsome night. It feels really easy to forget this character’s humanity throughout the rest of the movie due to the fact that she’s only in it for 10 minutes at the very beginning of the movie, but if you care to notice, you will find that she demands to be seen and respected as a person. Perhaps it is also because it’s almost normal for women to have to tell off men for being misogynistic, but in the little time she has before her murder, she displays not only what it is like to be a woman simply walking the streets, but also a woman in the prostitution field of work, working the streets, where there are no protections in place for her. In fact, because prostitution is illegal in Iran, she is technically criminalized by law, as we come to find out after the death of another woman, a sex worker by the name of Soghra, who’s mother reveals that the police department of Mashhad are privately welcoming of this serial killer because he is “cleaning up the streets for them. Do you think they’re going to arrest him?”
The journalist investigating this case faces her own struggles as a woman, but I felt her privilege just based on her working conditions. For example, she has the choice to work and travel during daylight hours. This is further exemplified by a scene in which she is getting back to her hotel room after dinner and she starts being followed by a man on a motorcycle in a dark alley. Her demands for this man to leave her alone are only respected when she pulls out her pocket knife on him, and even that is debatable, because she takes his hesitance as a chance to turn the corner and run into a better lit, busier street.
The work of the makeup department of this film also speaks to the different levels of privilege the characters exhibit. The Spider Killer’s wife, Fatima, is a stay at home wife and mother; and while this role has its hardships, it is also a privilege for it to be an option, because it means there is someone else providing for you. Her privilege is evident in her physical appearance. She looks to be well nourished, well dressed, her skin appears to be glowing, in fact! She looks to be a beautiful, happy, cared for woman. Somayeh and Soghra, on the other hand, display skin that appears to be discolored at best, but also bruised in lesser visible areas. Evidently, they are drug users, particularly on bad days, and are undernourished individuals. They could also be struggling with disease due to their line of work and lack of money which would lead to poor healthcare.
Beyond lighting, setting, and makeup, there is much more to cover in this film. I thought the acting to be realistic and the dialogue was captivating. The abuse of power and privilege had me holding my breath more than the physically abusive and murderous scenes – and don’t get me wrong, these were brutal scenes, very hard to watch – but the injustices showcased were the scenes I could not look away from. All in all, I would recommend this film to anyone looking for a dose of reality of poverty/class differences, prostitution, or the justice system – and I warn you to watch at your own discretion.