Discovery Festival Favourite 2018 - Spider Thieves - School Screening
(Niñas Araña)

Driven by a desire to have all the cool and trendy stuff they see advertised in TV commercials and department stores, three Chilean teenage girls from a Santiago shanty town set in motion a plan to climb buildings and plunder expensive apartments. Word spreads and soon enough they became the notorious ‘spider thieves’, but the impact of the nation’s interest begins to change their friendship and family relationships.

"A unique social commentary on dreams, class, and unfulfilled expectations..."

Inspired by actual events, this teenage thriller is a unique social commentary on dreams, class, and unfulfilled expectations in contemporary Chile. The director, Guillermo Hela, is very clear that this is not a film about delinquency, but that he sees their climbing as a metaphor for social mobility. “It’s neither a biopic, nor a documentary. It is a story about friendship, disappointments, dreams, adventure, vertigo, companionship, and the ingenuity of these young girls, who at heart only sought to enjoy the things they could never have. Three teenagers who wanted to change their destiny”. If ever there were to be an English language remake, it could be a perfect vehicle for Ken Loach (Kes, Sweet Sixteen, I, Daniel Blake).

Our Young Ambassadors said: “Enjoyable … a well-structured narrative … full of character … the comedic moments contrasted the bleak circumstances … interesting plot and characters … nice use of cinematography/colour to contrast between the shanty town and the luxury apartments … the soundtrack fitted well”

Dir: Guillermo Helo
Chile 2017 / 1h34m / Age 15+
Spanish with English subtitles

Resources by Gordon Mackenzie

Available to stream or buy from Amazon Prime.