Sixteen Legs (Niall Doran, Justin Smith, 2016): Australia | New Zealand | Singapore | USA | UK

Reviewed by Hanna Olsson. Viewed at The Santa Barbara Film Festival 2017.

Dark, giant, long

Just a few descriptions to string along

when talking about a common fear

Don’t worry though because they will never be near

Legs the length of a dinner plate

Fangs and venom are just another trait

If you guessed a spider, then yes you’re right

This is not written to give you a fright

but to dig deep into these caves and give you an unordinary insight

Deeper and deeper into the island cave

will only be seen by those who are brave

past the radiant glow worms that light the way

with a different atmosphere, no other animals will come and stay

with unchanging climate and complete darkness

you’re one step closer to these creatures that are ever so harmless

Finally, intricate white silk is woven into art

After days of creating this ensemble, it is just the start

The start of two spiders tangly courtship if the male is smart

Tap, tap, tap as the males legs draws in the female

The male gives it a shot whether its a win or fail

They must be doing something right however

because they’ve been reproducing since forever

Top of the food chain they will stay

As a fascinating predator, they can not keep us away.