Alien at the Movies

Paper Spiders

This coming of age story starts out looking like an off beat, quirky dramedy but shifts gears to a touching & heartbreaking story. Melanie (Stefanie LaVie Owen) is graduating as her high school’s salutatorian & planning to attend her late father’s alma mater USC. She becomes attracted to a charming & persistent rich bad boy. But her world becomes upended when her mom (Lilli Taylor) starts to show signs delusional paranoia. Owen & Taylor are fantastic. This moving mother/daughter film puts a spotlight on substance abuse & mental illness.

Alien gives it 3½ “strained relationships” stars out of 4.