Paper Spiders

But there’s so much sensitivity on display throughout Paper Spiders, the screenplay by Inon and Natalie Shampanier finding humor and pathos in minute details. Dawn’s rant about electromagnetic devices derails her date with Daniel’s father, Howard (Tom Papa), at a crucial moment. The private investigator, Gary (Max Casella), whom Dawn hires, is a brilliant diversion, his reaction to the ordeal marking one of the movie’s highlights. But then there’s the moment where Dawn has the definition of “delusional disorder” read out to her, and utterly misinterprets the intent; or Melanie’s party-drug-induced paranoia about inheriting her mom’s illness; or Dawn moving out to live in the car, to keep her daughter safe, and the consequent neighborhood scandal. The list of standouts goes on.

Things do escalate to a degree where the drama threatens to implode into a screechy mess during a graduation ceremony. Some musical choices are questionable, emphasizing emotions that need not be emphasized. Those minor bumps are forgivable, in large part due to the sharp script, chockfull of one-liners. “Leave a big tip,” Dawn says about a cab driver, “he knows where we live.”

“Stefania Owen knocks it out of the park…”

Stefania Owen knocks it out of the park as Melanie, both resilient and terrified, awkward and confident. She personifies your average teenager, albeit perhaps a less cynical, more warm-hearted version to which teenagers should aspire. Lili Taylor is reliably excellent – talk about perfect casting! – totally selling Dawn’s gradual mental deterioration. She keeps referring to her neighbor as a sociopath without realizing that she’s the one experiencing sociopathic tendencies. Not many actors could pull this off without toppling into hysteria, but Taylor once again proves that she’s one of the most underrated actors working.

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.