Under the Shadow (2016)

It's a good film. A touching drama about a war torn family and people living in fear in a period of war. Good production value and good acting, too.

So, why the three stars? Because it claims to be a horror film.

The horror part of the film, which consists of standard jump scare mostly, comes after a very long while, few and far in between, and not scary at all. The potential is there, considering the culture (which is religion-heavy) behind the story, but it's not explored enough.

If you're looking for a horror film, and you're thinking, "Ooh, this must be unique because it's a foreign film," this is not the one.

Fmovies: The first thing that stood out about this film was it's unique setting for a horror flick, it take's place in 1980's Iran during War Of The Cities. Our main character Shideh (Played by Narges Rashidi) has just learned that she won't be able to attend Medical school due to her background in activism. On top of all that her husband is being drafted to fight in the war leaving Shideh in a war torn country raising her daughter alone. The whole set up/first half was excellent, the acting is believable and director does a great job of establishing a tense tone. It definitely did not feel like the usual set up to a horror movie, in fact if I hadn't known before hand that this was a Horror flick I probably would have just assumed it was a Drama depicting live in Iran during a hard time.

So as the story progresses the horror elements are introduced, Shideh's daughter starts having trouble sleeping because she is afraid of Djinn (Demons). Some paranormal things start happening around the house and eventually things do get a little creepy. This part of the movie started to drag a bit a bit on the tension died down a bit for me. There are some scares that were well done and caught me off guard, however a few were too obvious and came off a bit too cheesy. Overall the second half is good but parts of it just felt like a run of the mill ghost movie. Plus the last fifteen minutes or so kind of fell flat on me, I felt like that was suppose to be a big tense scene but I just wasn't feeling it.

I enjoyed "Under The Shadow", it has it's flaws but it does enough right to make it a worthwhile experience. If you are interested in watching a decent ghost movie that has very interesting setting then this one if worth a watch, it doesn't do anything mind blowing but it does a good enough job at being an effective horror film.

I connected with the main character so well this became an intense experience for me. It is good to see a paranormal thriller set amongst the environs of a country at war, and in a place where lashes can be dished out for not wearing hijab's.

In the first part of the film it delivers a slice of life feel for the residents of another country with that documentary vibe, a real foreign film aspect (I'm in a western country) with regards to shot composition and editing.

On here some 'horror movie' lovers are crying and frothing at the bit because this movie does not contain bucket loads of violence and gore. What these pillocks don't appreciate is that film making need not slot into histories neat and concise film categories and thus we can mix elements of any known genres to result in many shades of grey. A bit of an open mind might assist you pallbearers of the strict genre to rise above your misery.

Now my objections are over, let me recommend this paranormal movie. It's well worth the ride :)

Under the Shadow fmovies. In the 80's, during the war between the Islamic post-revolutionary Iran and Iraq, the former leftist medical student Shideh (Narges Rashidi) tries to return to the university but is barred by the dean. The upset Shideh returns home and when her husband Dr. Iraj (Bobby Naderi) is assigned to work in a war zone, she refuses to move to his parent's house with their daughter Dorsa (Avin Manshadi). Shideh prefers to stay in her apartment with Dorsa, who loves her doll Kimia and has constant fever. Dorsa is afraid of demoniac Djinns and when Shideh asks who told her about the legend, she tells that her friend that lives downstairs. Shideh visits her neighbor and asks his mother to tell her son to not tell horror stories to Dorsa and she learns that the boy is mute. Then Kimia and Shideh's Jane Fonda workout tape disappear. When a missile strikes their building, the neighbors decide to leave Tehran, but Shideh stays in the apartment with Dorsa, who is increasingly disturbed. Soon Shideh reads about Djinns and finds that there is an evil entity in the apartment. Further she must find Kimia; otherwise Dorsa will be in danger since the Djinn will be attached to her.

"Under the Shadow" is an atmospheric and spooky ghost story in an unusual environment – Tehran in the 80's. The difference to the Western cultures is another attraction of this film, such as punishment of the woman for not wearing headscarf or for having a videocassette at home. The story has elements from "The Babadook" but is better than the 2014 film. The conclusion is open for a sequel, like most of the films of this genre. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available.

If there is one thing horror movies do best, it's taking real life, psychological fears and making them as tangible as possible, forcing us to experience the dread that we prefer to push into the back of our minds, yet this is something often traded out for cheap shock in horror movies today. While "Under the Shadow" may miss a few beats in terms of its actual scares, it is an atmospheric and smart film that is about the real oppression that many people had to deal with and how it affects its main character.

It takes place in Iran during the 80s, a very divisive time in the country's history, when Iranians could be bombed by Iraq at any moment. Anyone who didn't follow their strict rules was horribly punished, and one could be discriminated against for their past political views, and the end of the war was nowhere in sight.

The film begins with Shideh attempting to finish her medical studies, but being turned down for her past political views. Her mother has just died, and she always dreamed that Shideh would be a doctor. Her husband, while loving, doesn't seem very supportive, and they get in an argument which details her past, showing that her husband has subtly oppressed her in the past. He leaves for work around a time that rumors begin to surface about Iraq bombings. He insists she take her daughter to his parents' house, and she denies, mostly as a way to prove that she can take care of her daughter.

However, after the first bombing, Shideh begins to lose control of her daughter, who starts to talk to supernatural beings brought on by the anxiety and fear caused by the attacks. Most people begin leaving, and soon she is left alone, desperately clinging to her daughter, but often failing.

The horror is said to be supernatural, but it is mostly brought upon by her fear that she is useless. She fears that since she can't be a doctor, she must be a good mother, but everything around her is telling her she is failing.

As far as the actual scares go, they are executed impressively for the most part. The shots are held just as long as they need to be held in order to build tension, and cuts are made at the right moments. There are a few jump scares that felt predictable (such as the first dream sequence, and moments towards the end), but most are built up perfectly and used just sparingly enough to truly be unaware of what would happen next. A few moments during the climax felt dragged out, as tends to happen with many horror films, good and bad. But what is most striking about this film is its atmosphere. It has a very dream-like atmosphere and some of the imagery is pretty hard to forget.

In western culture movies become iconic quickly. For example, entire generations who missed the original Star Wars film can nonetheless recite dialog from it. Horrow films fit the same mold. The tropes, tricks, plot arcs and even to a large degree the SFX become familiar over time because they are part of the overall experience you expect.

But what happens when a horror fan experiences a film from a different culture? Are the building blocks the same ... or different? One of the clearest exponents of this issue is this film, a modern "horror" film produced in an Islamic country that is known neither for its horror films nor really for its interest in films at all.

Which is what makes UNDER THE SHADOW SO REMARKABLE.

It is good enough to stand on its own as a horror piece. In fact, it's only possible failing -- that it builds so slowly and gradually -- can in fact be considered a major strength. It may well be that, in the west, film-makers who lack the skill to "layer" their suspense raise the temperature far too quickly? However when you consider the obvious incorporation of allegory and metaphor to overlay the plight of the heroine in her real life against her plight in the supernatural realm .. the film gets even more intriguing. Not preachy. Just interesting.

Recommended.