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The teen years are challenging enough when you have a strong support system. Navigating school and relationships the future can be easier when you’ve got someone to talk to. But in Paper Spiders, one teen struggles to plan for her future while caring for a mother who’s struggling with mental illness.
Paper Spiders stars Stefania LaVie Owen as Melanie, a brilliant high school senior who’s eager to attend med school at USC—just like her late dad did years ago. But when her mom, Dawn (Lili Taylor), becomes obsessed with their new neighbor, convinced that he’s trying to break into the house to cause her harm, Melanie becomes increasingly concerned. And instead of spending the year planning for college and going out with new boyfriend Daniel (Ian Nelson), Melanie struggles to find answers to her mother’s crumbling mental health.
Dawn’s progression is painful to witness. In the beginning, she seems like just another overbearing but well-meaning mother. She just wants what’s best for Melanie. But then one heated run-in with the new neighbor causes her to give in to her paranoia and fear. She’s convinced that he’s throwing rocks at the house, that he’s trying to break in, that he’s on the roof. And no matter what Melanie—or the neighbors, or the police, or anyone else—says, she refuses to believe otherwise. It’s clear that she’s spiraling out of control, hurting herself and so many others in the process.
Poor Melanie is the innocent victim here. While she should be enjoying her last year of high school and planning her future, she’s forced to grow up too fast—to care for her mom and try to keep the delusions in check while stepping up to support them both. And in an attempt to keep her life as normal as possible, she keeps it all quiet, suffering though it alone.
The pair’s story is told in a way that’s heartfelt but sometimes humorous, too—especially when Melanie attempts to seek the help of the school’s counselor (Michael Cyril Creighton), who’s so clearly out of his league. Both stars give strong, believable performances. And the awkwardness of it all—of Melanie’s attempts to balance school and relationships and her mother’s challenges while trying to pretend that nothing is wrong—balances the story out and makes it feel genuine.
Paper Spiders isn’t the same old coming-of-age story. It’s moving and heartbreaking but sometimes funny, too, combining teenage dramas with grown-up problems. And it all comes together in a bittersweet story about family and mental illness.
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