Holy Spider (18)
Directed by Ali Abbasi
★★★

FROM the writer-director of the award-winning supernatural fantasy Border comes a gripping crime thriller about Iran’s most notorious serial killer, known as the Spider Killer, who hunted down street prostitutes.

Written and directed by Ali Abbasi, it is inspired by the real life tale of Saeed Hanaei, a father of three, who murdered 16 sex workers in the holy city of Mashhad in the early 2000s.

The story is told through the eyes of a fictional journalist, Rahimi (Zar Amir-Ebrahimi), who descends into the city’s dark underbelly to investigate these serial murders, and exposes the sexism and prejudice that she faces as a woman in her line of work.

Led by a commanding performance from Ebrahimi, the film delivers a blistering critique of Iranian society as Saeed (Mehdi Bajestani) is a very religious man and a well respected citizen. What is frightening is that he is hailed as a hero by many for making it his divine mission to cleanse the city of “dirty” and “depraved” women/sinners.

The film illustrates such hypocrisy and misogyny. Saeed is applauded for doing the police’s work for them while his victims are dismissed as morally corrupt and worthless. His own wife is aware of his crimes but adamant that he has done nothing wrong. She claims that the women got what they deserved and his impressionable young son expresses pride in his father.

Holy Spider is a powerful and thought-provoking crime drama which attempts to humanise this killer’s victims.

Maria Duarte
Out in cinemas from today.

Alice, Darling (15)
Directed by Mary Nighy
★★

THE burden of this slow burning drama about an emotional abusive relationship is carried by Anna Kendrick in a virtuoso and haunting performance.

Kendrick plays Alice who has a controlling boyfriend Simon (Charlie Carrick) who texts her endlessly when she is on a girls’ night out. It takes going on a getaway with her two best friends (Wunmi Mosaku and Kaniehtiio Horn) for her to gain some perspective on her destructive liaison.

Actor turned director Mary Nighy’s debut feature, written by Alanna Francis, is enacted with such subtlety that you are kept at arm’s length from Alice’s turmoil and you feel like a voyeur. You see her slowly start to derail but you only get glimpses of her boyfriend’s emotional abuse which makes it difficult to empathise and understand the fear that he instils in her.

While refreshing to see a film deal with this subject matter and exquisitely acted, the film needs more context and directness in its approach.

MD
Out in cinemas from today

The Substitute (15)
Directed by Diego Lerman
★★★

A NEW substitute literature teacher is determined to connect with his students at a tough Buenos Aires high school in this compelling drama by Argentinian co-writer and director Diego Lerman.

While treading the same ground as Laurent Contet’s The Class (2008) Juan Minujin’s charismatic and engaging performance as the teacher along with those of his young supporting cast keep you riveted to the screen.

Lucio (Minujin) is the son of El Chileno, who was loved and respected by his fellow teachers and the local community at large, and comes to the aid of one of his students who is threatened by the local drug kingpin and all hell ensues.

The drama examines school and local politics but at its heart it is about a teacher trying to inspire young minds via poetry and literature, a tall order in an inner city school where the kids are surrounded by poverty, drugs and crime and no future prospects.

MD
Out in cinemas from today.

More Than Ever (15)
Directed by Emily Atef
★★★

VICKY KRIEPS and the late Gaspard Ulliel play a married couple in this heartbreaking tale of a terminally ill woman who decides to take control of the life she has left.

If like me you have lost someone to lung disease, this is a very difficult watch.

The drama, written and directed by Emily Atef, follows Helene (Krieps, Old) as she decides to leave her beloved husband Mathieu (Ulliel) at home in Bordeaux to stay with a Norwegian blogger called Mister (Bjorn Floberg) who she met online and has had life saving surgery. To Mathieu’s horror she heads to Norway where Mister isn’t quite what she expected but helps her come to terms with her own feelings and what she wants.

Amidst a sweeping landscape of fjords which provide solace and much needed reflection for Helene, this moving drama is driven home by heartwrenching performances from Krieps and Ulliel alike.

MD
Out in cinemas from today.