Holy Spider

In the city of Mashad, one of Iran's holiest sites, a serial killer is active who preys on prostitutes; in the same way over and over again, he murders women considered sinful. Journalist Rahimi travels to the city to investigate the case. Once there, she soon discovers that a woman is expected to "know her place". But Rahimi is determined to find out the identity of the man known only by his sinister nickname Spider Killer. That means she has to take bigger and bigger risks.

Iranian/Swedish/Danish director Ali Abbasi, who previously surprised the film world with the highly original Gräns, based the story of this unconventional thriller on true events. He shows how religious beliefs and a lack of rights for women can have monstrous consequences. Rahimi is convincingly portrayed by Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, a role that won her the Best Actress award at Cannes.