If the new supernatural horror, Under the Shadow, was set in a modern US home, it would have been a very average and uninspired film. The film’s originality, and ultimate greatness, comes from is setting – in time and space.
It is the eighties, in Tehran, amid the eight year war between Iran and Iraq. We begin the film with our protagonist Shideh (the great Narges Rashidi), clad in the oppressive hijab imposed on Iranian woman after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, trying to reapply for her medical degree she began prior to the war. She is denied a place in the university due to leftist activity during the revolution and is left to be a stay at home mum for daughter Dorsa (a spot on Avin Manshadi). Once her husband Iraj (Bobby Naderi) is drafted into military service, and the bombings increase, the psychological effects of all that is happening to Shideh start to, understandably, take its toll.
And, on top of all this, Dorsa – no doubt effected by all this too – starts to talk about a djinn haunting their building. Shideh dismisses it at first, but as the other building tenants start to flee due to the bombings leaving them more and more isolated, things start to get weirder and she begins to question her sanity and what she used to think was the truth.
There are a few jump-out-your-seat moments, but this isn’t the main thrust of the film’s style – it is the lingering creepiness, which is excellently crafted, mirrored and maintained within the war and oppressive society setting.
The film does remain ambiguous to whether there really is supernatural happenings or if it is just the extreme stress of the situation playing tricks on our character’s minds. As the film nears its conclusion, it becomes a little less ambiguous than I’d have personally preferred – I am always a fan of ‘less is more’ in horror, especially in the low budget variety, and this did start to overstep the mark towards the end.
Despite this minor – and probably rather personal gripe – Under the Shadow is a must see film for horror fans, history fans, and, quite frankly, film fans. See it.
Under the Shadow will be shown at Broadway Cinema until Thursday 13 October 2016.
Under the Shadow Trailer
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