Directed by Inon Shampanier
Written by Inon Shampanier and Natalie Shampanier
Starring Lili Taylor, Stefania LaVie Owen, Ian Nelson, Max Casella
Unrated - language

by Audrey Callerstrom, Staff Writer

In Paper Spiders’ earliest scenes, we see that widowed mother Dawn (Lili Taylor) and teen daughter Melanie (Stefanie LaVie Owen), have a close, friendship-like relationship. Although Dawn is a very anxious person, interrogating the campus tour guide at USC about local crime statistics, the mother and daughter enjoy a moment on the flight home. They collaborate on a crossword together. The actresses have a familiarity with each other and you imagine that Melanie and Dawn spend many mornings in robes and coffee, completing crosswords at the dining room table. That close-knit, “we’re all we’ve got” bond not unlike another certain mother-daughter pairing.

It would have been to Paper Spiders’ advantage if we spent more time with these characters or got to know them beyond surface-level characteristics (mom is anxious, daughter is anxious to graduate high school), which is why it’s hard to stay fully invested as Dawn’s mental health takes a downturn. A neighbor backs a U-haul truck into a treasured tree on their boulevard, damaging the bark of what they lovingly refer to as “dad’s tree.” Dawn is furious, and she starts to develop paranoid delusions about the aforementioned neighbor (whom we never see), and how he’s out to get her. She accuses him of throwing rocks at the house (actually falling pine cones), spying on her, climbing on her roof. None of her accusations are ever substantiated. Melanie stands by as her mom starts to become more and more paranoid. The film also follows Melanie during her last year of high school, particularly as a cute ne’er-do-well named Daniel (Ian Nelson) shows an interest in her.

Paper Spiders’ biggest asset is its two lead actresses. They look and act like mother and daughter. Taylor expertly conveys a lonely, ill woman, although we never really know her outside of her illness. Some of the film’s best scenes are between Taylor and stand-up comedian Tom Papa as a likable, divorced man who starts dating Dawn after Melanie sets up Dawn’s online dating profile. He doesn’t see Dawn’s harsh criticisms or Debbie Downer-comments as off-putting like others might. Rather, he’s able to laugh them off, like when Dawn points out that every entree he wants to order at the restaurant has saturated fat. We see some of the real Dawn peek through in these scenes. She even smiles at one moment. But for a majority of the running time it’s a downward spiral as Dawn’s delusions continue and have adverse affects on her life and relationship with Melanie.

Paper Spiders was written and directed by husband and wife team Natalie Shampanier and Inon Shampanier, and based on Natalie’s experience with her mother. As someone who has also experienced mental illness in their family, I was drawn to this story. But in spite of these two performances, especially from Stefanie LaVie Owen (Krampus), who finds that delicate balance between naive teen and eager young adult, Paper Spiders makes some missteps that make for less than effective storytelling.

We see that Melanie is a teenager, and that Dawn is mentally ill, but the script fails to ever make them feel like real people, or give us any insight into what their life was like before the film began. It also needs a third party to mitigate the situation. Dawn needs help much sooner than she seeks it, and Melanie needs to confront her mom much sooner than she does, because the film quickly starts to feel repetitive. Their stories feel like they move in parallel.

It’s disappointing the only storyline the film’s creators could give Melanie was about a Cute Boy At School, and not a terribly complex one at that (he’s charming and drinks). Melanie’s friend Lacy (Peyton List), who could also have served as this necessary third party, only seems to pop up at school and establish herself as a slut (her words). Dawn’s boss (David Rasche) knows more about Dawn than Melanie does, but never serves as an ally or friend to either. Would an eighteen year old really humor her mother for so long about something she’s so clearly wrong about? The film also never fully explores the dynamic of how Melanie feels guilt about moving away from home from college just as her mom starts to need her most. Things feel like they come to a head at multiple points, and the process of Dawn getting help is glossed over. Paper Spiders is a film about mental illness with solid performances that can’t quite elevate its simple script.