Paper Spiders is a truly captivating story that centers around mental illness, and the unbreakable bond between mother and daughter.
Paper Spiders is a film that is sure to take viewers by surprise when they find themselves completely captivated and on the edge of their seats throughout the whole thing. The two female leads are fantastic and perfectly capture the mother daughter relationship. As a daughter myself, and a mother of two girls, I could completely understand the unbreakable bond that they have — and also the screaming matches that they get into.
This coming of age movie tells the story of Melanie, played by Stefania LaVie Owen, and her mother Dawn, played by Lili Taylor. In Paper Spiders, Melanie’s father has already passed away a few years ago. Her mother hasn’t really been the same since, but after some new neighbors move in, things go really wrong. Dawn begins to believe that her neighbor is out to get her — and apparently these are not her first paranoid delusions.
With Melanie tackling her senior year, and getting ready to head out of state for college, the timing could not be any worse. All of this, on top of a possible new relationship, make her life a hard one.
What Works With Paper Spiders
The very best thing about Paper Spiders is the mother-daughter relationship. Every single aspect of it is believable. From the fights, to the way that they would do anything for each other. Owen and Taylor are exceptional in this film and their chemistry on screen is off the charts. They work very well together, which in turn makes the movie that much better — because of how believable their relationship is.
Paper Spiders is not afraid to put mental illness at the forefront of this movie and that is part of what makes it so good. Seeing Dawn lose her grip on reality — and how that in turn effects everyone around her, specifically Melanie — is exactly what the world needs to see in order to understand mental illness. As said in the film itself, Dawn did not choose to be this way.
The writing and direction revolving around these two characters is done so well, that Paper Spiders becomes one of the best films to portray mother-daughter relationships.
What Doesn’t Work With Paper Spiders
Perhaps it is because of just how well Melanie’s relationship works with her mother, but her other relationships tend to fall a little flat in this movie. Her possible love interest, and her best friend, are almost forgettable by the time viewers hit the second act. Of course they are there for a reason, and that does pay off in the end, however they do not feel necessary to the story.
Whenever their interactions are going on, the movie starts to drag. This is nothing against the actors, Ian Nelson and Peyton List,, who actually great choices who do a fine job, it is more about the story and the writing of the movie. Yes, it is important to see that Melanie is suffering in other aspects of her life, but something about these two relationships just never gets off the ground.
Overall Thoughts
Paper Spiders is a fantastic movie, with great casting choices, and a whole lot of emotions. There are a couple of times where audiences will probably shed tears — some happy, some sad. The film is the story of Melanie, but mostly about her relationship with her mentally ill mother.
It is hard to get into more detail without giving too many spoilers, but their relationship is what makes this movie what it is. Putting mental illness at the front of this movie, in a way that it is explained as a struggle, and not a choice, is extremely important and something that many people can relate to — whether themselves or friends or family members. Bravo for this one, Paper Spiders, bravo.
A beautifully told coming of age story that isn’t afraid to show the harsh reality of how mental illness can effect those around you. A must watch.
About Paper Spiders
Dawn recently lost her husband and experiences growing anxiety as her daughter Melanie plans to move away for college. An altercation with a hostile new neighbor aggravates Dawn’s mental condition, and she begins to show signs of paranoid delusions. Determined to help her mom, Melanie attempts a series of interventions, but challenging Dawn’s reality of persecution threatens to destroy their loving relationship.
Her mental illness spirals out of control — sabotaging Melanie’s academics, social life, and blossoming love life. Melanie is forced to make the toughest of choices as she struggles to support her mother on the path toward recovery and healing. A bittersweet story about coming of age in the shadow of mental illness.
