Holy Spider (2022)

Loosely based on the "Spider Killer" who murdered prostitutes in Mashhad, Iran in 2000 and 2001 for the supposed reason of cleansing the holy city of corrupt women. Of course, the corrupt men who patronize the prostitutes need not be punished. The script conjures a female journalist who solves the case despite facing prejudice along the way.

My father was full-blooded Iranian and I saw his brand of dominance toward those smaller/weaker while rolling over for powerful men in the killer. This connection made it impossible for me to be sure I'm judging this movie on its own merits -- I just know I really disliked it. I am on the record for other "based on fact" films that do what this one did, though: showing us scenes that are entirely fabricated while purporting to be true (e.g. Saeed getting turned on by a corpse he'd just strangled).

D+