Thematic analysis of «Spider» movie

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Faculty member, Department of Political Economy and Policy Making, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Allameh Tabataba'i University

Abstract
The movie "Spider" is a story about the period when Saeed Hanai, killed sixteen female sex workers in Mashhad between 1379 and 1380. In this research, based on the technique of thematic analysis, the narration of the movie "Spider" has been deconstructed in order to reveal what image the narration of this movie has imposed on this reality, reflecting what values and what relationship it establishes with the values and norms of the official and dominant discourses in the social sphere of Iran. Analyzing the themes of “spider” movie notices that: 1- Saeed is tormented and distressed in the transitioning society of Iran where traditional values are being replaced by modern values. He considers prostitutes to be the cause of corruption and considers them impure and non-human. 2- Against the change of the dominant values, he takes an active and aggressive action based on the teachings of his respective meaning structure, and by committing murders, he gives himself meaning and role, and the social approval he gets from the society make him to feel like a hero. 3- Contrary to the government's official reading of Saeed Hanai's phenomenon, in movie he is not presented as a psychopath, but as an agent committed to dominant meaning structures. 4- Hierarchical distribution of resources prevents the formation of clear bipolarity in the society, and in such a distribution, superior-inferior relationships prevail among the subordinates as well.

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Volume 20, Issue 1 - Serial Number 77
No.77
Winter 2025
Pages 7-50

  • Receive Date 15 November 2024
  • Revise Date 11 January 2025
  • Accept Date 02 February 2025