Mashhad, Iran, a holy city home to the Imam Reza shrine, served, in 2001, as hunting ground for a serial killer known as The Spider. This man, eventually identified as Saeed Hanaei, believed he was acting in the service of God and his city by “cleansing” the streets of sex workers, 16 of whom he brutally murdered. Directed by Ali Abbasi, actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi won the prestigious Best Actress award at Cannes for her leading role as Rahimi, a journalist returning to her hometown to help bring the killer to justice.
Abbasi presents what at first appears as a straightforward tale of cat and mouse, and good versus evil. But upon The Spider’s capture, Rahimi is horrified to discover that he has a great deal of support from his friends and those who agree with his skewed judgment of morality. Abbasi presents this mind-boggling scenario free of exaggeration or sentimentality, broadcasting the disturbing degree to which victims can be dehumanized and perpetrators exalted.
Best Actress Award (Zar Amir Ebrahimi), Cannes 2022
Mehdi Bajestani, Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Arash Ashtiani, Forouzan Jamshidnejad, Alice Rahimi, Sara Fazilat
Denmark/Germany/Sweden/France
2022
In Persian with English subtitles
Graphic Violence, Sexual Violence
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
It's a Wonderful Life
Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings. This Christmas classic is whimsical, sure, but it has the depth to stand up to multiple watches, and it really should be a communal experience, because that is what it's about. Rated: G
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Aardman Animation's handcrafted mix of dad jokes, slapstick, mock dramatics and understated emotion makes this return for the claymation odd couple a constant delight. The villainous Feathers McGraw is back to no good, commandeering Norbot the robot. Rated: G
The Count of Monte Cristo
You can't beat this evergreen Alexandre Dumas tale for adventure, intrigue and romance. This lavish French blockbuster from the writers of the recent Three Musketeers movies pulls you in from the first scene and doesn't let off for the next three hours. Rated: PG
Flow
In this wordless and gorgeously atmospheric animated feature, a solitary black cat survives a tsunami and must confront his fear of water whilst sailing through a flooded world with a group of misfit animals. An enchanting adventure film for all ages. Rated: G
The Holdovers
Destined to become a seasonal staple, this bittersweet comedy reunites Sideways director and star Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti in the portrait of a surly classics teacher forced to babysit five "orphans" at boarding school over the holidays.
Who by Fire
Jeff, a 17-year-old aspiring filmmaker, goes on vacation with his friend Max and his family to an isolated lodge. Philippe Lesage’s film is a tense, mesmerizing tour de force that is both agonizing and cathartic. A Berlinale award winner.
Credits
Executive Producer
Ditte Milsted, Christoph Lange
Producer
Sol Bondy, Jacob Jarek, Ali Abbasi
Screenwriter
Ali Abbasi, Afshin Kamran Bahrami
Cinematography
Nadim Carlsen
Editor
Hayedeh Safiyari, Olivia Neergaard-Holm
Production Design
Lina Nordqvist
Original Music
Martin Dirkov
Director
Photo by Nadim Carlsen
Ali Abbasi
Ali Abbasi is a writer and director originally from Iran. He has a BA in architecture and studied directing at the National Film School of Denmark. His feature debut, Shelley (2016) premiered at the Berlinale in 2016 and was released in the US. He is best known for his 2018 film Border, which premiered in Cannes and won the Un Certain Regard Award. The film was chosen as Sweden’s Academy Award entry, was widely released internationally, and won the Danish Film Award. He is currently shooting the TV adaptation of The Last of Us for HBO in Canada.
Filmography: Shelley (2016); Border (2018)