Against the distressing backdrop of the War of the Cities that came soon after the Iranian Revolution, the line between the terrors of wartime and the threat of supernatural possession is blurred in this exceedingly unnerving film, which is the UK’s entry for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film this year. When young Dorsa’s favourite doll goes missing, the little girl begins to have frightening visions. Increasingly agitated, her mother tries to keep a lid on things – but Mrs Ebrahimi, the landlord’s wife, surmises that a djinni has targeted the family.
A victim of the post-revolution state crackdown on dissidents, one-time medical student Shideh has been relegated to the role of housewife. When her doctor husband is sent on military duty to an area of heavy fighting, the tension at home ratchets up, but Shideh insists on remaining in Tehran with her daughter Dorsa, even as the other tenants of their apartment complex are fleeing the shelling.
Soon after a missile hits their building, Dorsa’s favourite doll goes missing and the little girl begins to have frightening visions. Increasingly agitated, Shideh tries to keep a lid on things – but Mrs Ebrahimi, the landlord’s wife, surmises that a djinni has targeted the family. As Dorsa’s panic reaches fever pitch and Shideh starts having nightmares of her own, the line blurs between the terrors of wartime and the threat of supernatural possession.
During the War of the Cities that followed the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Tehran was under constant bombardment. Against this unstable and distressing backdrop, director Babak Anvari tells an exceedingly unnerving tale of one family’s experience during the lengthy conflict. The recipient of a production grant from the Doha Film Institute, ‘Under the Shadow’ is the UK’s Academy Award entry for Best Foreign Language Film.
Soon after a missile hits their building, Dorsa’s favourite doll goes missing and the little girl begins to have frightening visions. Increasingly agitated, Shideh tries to keep a lid on things – but Mrs Ebrahimi, the landlord’s wife, surmises that a djinni has targeted the family. As Dorsa’s panic reaches fever pitch and Shideh starts having nightmares of her own, the line blurs between the terrors of wartime and the threat of supernatural possession.
During the War of the Cities that followed the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Tehran was under constant bombardment. Against this unstable and distressing backdrop, director Babak Anvari tells an exceedingly unnerving tale of one family’s experience during the lengthy conflict. The recipient of a production grant from the Doha Film Institute, ‘Under the Shadow’ is the UK’s Academy Award entry for Best Foreign Language Film.
