Synopsis
A bittersweet story about coming of age in the shadow of mental illness.
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Cast
- Lili TaylorDawn
- Stefania LaVie OwenMelanie
- Peyton ListLacy
- Ian NelsonDaniel
- Max CasellaGary
- David RascheBill Hoffman
- Tom PapaHoward
- Michael Cyril CreightonMr. Wessler
- Jennifer CodyMrs. Jensen
- Deanna McKinneyOfficer Gina Morales
Recommendations
- 88
Movie Nation
The cast and filmmakers have made a very good movie about a very tough subject. and somehow have managed to never cop out once by showing us easy answers. - 80
Film Threat
Papers Spiders is everything you want out of a teen drama, more Lady Bird than The Fault in Our Stars. That’s not to say fans of the latter won’t respond to Shampanier’s genuine gem. Don’t let this one slip under the radar. - 80
Los Angeles Times
Taylor plays Dawn’s slide into this mental health crisis beautifully, and with conviction, and Owen is stunning as the high-achieving, yet fragile Melanie, who seeks oblivion and solace in a risky boyfriend (Ian Nelson). - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
Paper Spiders is a message film, but one that's spiked with welcome humor, and its excellent cast is led by the reliably compelling Lili Taylor as the afflicted woman, tormented and tormenting, and Stefania LaVie Owen as her smart and sensitive daughter. - 70
Variety
What begins as a wry tale of a maturing family in bittersweet flux spirals unpredictably into a study of living with extreme mental illness, as experienced by both the afflicted and their gradually alienated nearest and dearest. - 60
The New York Times
In absence of a bold visual style, the performers are tasked with providing the movie with its energy. - 58
The Film Stage
For director Inon Shampanier and co-writer Natalie Shampanier to tackle something so complex is therefore commendable whether or not Paper Spiders proves a complete success.
