Movie
Iran, Jordan
Persian
Drama, Horror, Thriller, War
2016
BABAK ANVARI
Arash Marandi, Avin Manshadi, Babak Anvari
84 min
7.8
Thu Phuong T
What it's about
After Shideh's building is hit by a missile during the Iran-Iraq War, a superstitious neighbor suggests that the missile was cursed and might be carrying malevolent Middle-Eastern spirits. She becomes convinced a supernatural force within the building is attempting to possess her daughter Dorsa, and she has no choice but to confront these forces if she is to save her daughter and herself.
The take
Horror movies have always been creepier to me when they play on our fear of the “unknown” rather than gore. Under The Shadow does exactly that. The story is based around the relationship of a woman, Shideh, and her daughter, Dorsa, under the backdrop of the Iran-Iraq war. As widespread bombings shake the ground beneath their feet, the two grapple with a more insidious evil that is faceless and traceless, coming and going only with the wind. The movie’s dread-effect plays strongly on feelings of isolation and helplessness. The scares are slow and it’s obvious the director takes great care in making every single second count and in raising the unpredictableness of the action. Like the bombs, the audience never knows when or how the next apparition will materialize. The former is always on the edge of fear, wondering what is no doubt there, but is yet to be shown on the frame. In terms of significance, Under The Shadow features too many symbolisms to count and will most likely resonate with each person differently. But one thing remains relatively unarguable: this is a wonderful movie.
Comments
Spooky! And so well done. Highly recommend
Thought it was great, 8/10, just a little incomplete, like in the end I felt it was only halfway through.
I thought it was boring. Not a lot happening, a couple of creepy bits but the rest was dull. It could have been a great short film
r
ryan
i just started watching the movie on netflix and this isn’t a review. i just thought it would be a good idea to let people know that netflix defaults to english dubs, but you can change the language to the original perisian and add english subtitles if you’re not a fan of dubs.
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