By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Babak Anvari
Starring: Aram Ghasemy | Arash Marandi | Avin Manshadi | Behi Djanati Atai | Bobby Naderi | Narges Rashidi | Ray Hartian | Soussan Farakhnia
Country: iran, jordan, qatar, united_kingdom
Year: 2016
Running time: 84
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4273292/reference
Michael says: “The best horror films are usually allegories for circumstances based in reality, and UNDER THE SHADOW tackles several in its depiction of an apartment seemingly haunted by a spirit called a djinn. Shideh is facing a host of doubts living in war-torn, post-revolutionary Tehran. This young mother, who once dabbled briefly in youthful political rebellion, finds herself unable to return to medical school to complete her studies and become a doctor, struggles with the care of her young daughter, Dorsa, questioning her skill as a mother, and do this alone, while her city is being bombed, and her husband is sent to the front lines. These doubts manifest in the form of a dark spirit that works its way into the minds of bother Shideh and her daughter, while trying to prevent them from leaving the apartment and traveling to safety. Writer/director Babak Anvari uses a supernatural spirit to explore the politics of 1980’s Iran, and the core identity that comes with motherhood in a way that is entertaining and enlightening. 4 cats“