Va ankaboot amad
***/****
directed by Maziar Bahari
by Travis Mackenzie Hoover You'd think it would be clear-cut: a serial killer who murders 16 prostitutes should be treated with a maximum of scorn. But that's not how it happened in Iran, where the notorious Saeed Hanei dispatched members of society who were already believed to have been the scum of the earth. The sadistic "spider-killer," already high on killing from the Iran-Iraq war, believed that he was doing God's work, and interviews with his family reveal that they are proud that their son/husband/father was taking a stand on those who would corrupt the earth. Public opinion is hardly clear-cut, as revealed by the ambivalence of his co-workers in condemning his actions and by the approval of hardliners who applaud him. As a film about the killings, And Along Came a Spider does a fairly good job, exploring the messed-up religious upbringing that shaped Hanei's consciousness (as revealed through remorseless interviews with his family) and showing the impact of his actions by talking to the children of one of the victims. As a document of Iranian society's response, it's not quite as effective, relying on Hanei's co-workers and brief mentions in the press. But there's enough evidence here to indict at least a particular fundamentalist state of mind, and the film hammers the nails into its moral coffin with some skill.
