‘The Spiral’ Is Fantastic Fest’s Most Shocking Delight [FANTASTIC FEST REVIEW]

A Story of Family Struggles

Anna (Jasmine Trinca) is a wealthy woman who has a beautiful family in the 90s in Italy. The story, split throughout time with flashbacks to their lives in the 90s and up through 2026, allows the audience to see what Anna inflicts on her family through each decade. The Spiral gives Anna an impossible choice and the audiences sees the consequences of that choice throughout the rest of the film.

In the modern storyline, Anna goes to see her adult daughter Alice (Romana Maggiora Vergano) in Rome and brings up a story of their past. When Alice dismisses it as a story within her family, Anna forces her to listen to the story so that Alice can understand what she has to do. Alice’s older brother Tobia (Alessandro Carbonara) and her have a close relationship but it is the pain that their parents, Anna and Walter (Adriano Giannini), inflict on them that makes The Spiral something darker.

It is, honestly, hard to talk about this new film without spoiling something. Paolo Strippoli made something truly special that you have to experience for yourself. But there is a lot to talk about too within it.

Nothing Like a Disappointed Mother

Growing up with an Italian parent is a unique experience. My mother is Italian, her father moving to the US when he was a baby. So I know first hand what that kind of life is like. Now, to be fair to my own beloved mother, she is nothing like Anna. She does have elements of her. The upset over what could potentially happen to Alice is more universal but then what happened to Tobia? That’s very much an Italian parents worse nightmare. Which seems superficial but it is the way it is.

But outside of those elements, what really works with The Spiral is seeing just how far Anna will go to protect her family. After the Stranger (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) gives Anna a choice, she has to live with what she did and that momentum allows each new twist and turn to really work in the film’s favor.

The Spiral Is a Must-See

There are some movies at Fantastic Fest that really stand out. While some are fun watches that you know you’ll enjoy here at the festival and nowhere else, when a movie really pops, it stays with you. Leaving The Spiral, so many attendees were talking about how good it is. Whispers filled the Alamo in Austin as everyone who saw it told their friends to book a ticket. And that’s how you know that Strippoli crafted something special within the runtime of The Spiral.

My grandmother used to tell us that life is about choices and that is, in many ways, what the film is all about. And maybe Anna needed to reflect on her own choices instead of going to Alice to try to fix the mistakes she made. But at the end of the day, The Spiral is the kind of movie that you need to experience without getting spoiled.