Under the Shadow (2016)

Introduction

Under the Shadow (Persian: زیر سایه‎, romanised: Zeer-e sāye) is a 2016 Persian-language psychological horror film written and directed by Iranian-born Babak Anvari as his directorial debut. A mother and daughter are haunted by a mysterious evil in 1980s Tehran, during the War of the Cities. The film stars Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi, Ray Haratian, and Arash Marandi.

Outline

In 1980s war-torn post-revolutionary Tehran, former medical student Shideh is barred from resuming her studies because of her involvement with student leftist groups. She gets rid of her medical textbooks, but keeps a book of medical physiology given to her by her deceased mother. As the war intensifies, she elects to stay in the city with her daughter, Dorsa, despite the protests of her husband Iraj, a doctor called into military service. Iraj wants Shideh to stay with his parents in a safer part of the country, but she refuses. Iraj promises Dorsa that her favourite doll, Kimia, will protect her.

A boy moves in with the neighbouring Ebrahimi family, who are his cousins; his parents were killed in an attack. During a shelling, he whispers something into Dorsa’s ear and hands her a charm to ward off evil spirits. Dorsa tells her mother that the boy talked about the legend of the Djinn; Shideh throws the charm away. She visits Mrs. Ebrahimi, who reveals that the boy has been mute since the death of his parents. Dorsa develops a fever and she and Shideh are plagued by nightmares. Shideh’s PTSD grows worse from the trauma of living in a warzone but she is in denial.

A missile strikes their building and Kimia goes missing in the commotion. Dorsa’s behaviour becomes more disturbed; she insists there is a strange presence in the house, and repeatedly tries to get into the upper floor, believing that Kimia is there. The neighbours begin to leave to escape the fighting. Mrs. Ebrahimi warns Shideh that djinns can possess humans, and will steal a beloved personal item of their victims. The Ebrahimis leave too and Dorsa and Shideh are the only two inhabitants left in the building. Shideh’s own items start to go missing. Her nightmares escalate to visions involving a chador that moves like a ghost. Dorsa admits to seeing the same apparitions. Shideh finally wants to leave but Dorsa refuses until Kimia is found. Shideh receives a call seemingly from Iraj but the caller begins to berate her for being a poor mother. Shideh finds a mutilated Kimia, which upsets Dorsa, so she repairs Kimia with tape. When they are about to leave though, another air raid siren goes off.

While going down to the shelter, she hears Dorsa’s screams. She panics, believing that the Dorsa she left with is an apparition, and returns home to find the real one. She sees Dorsa under their bed but discovers that it is an apparition. Escaping to the shelter, she finds the real Dorsa. The two are attacked by the chador apparition and escape to the car. Shideh drives them to Iraj’s parents. However, it is revealed that Kimia’s detached head was left behind and Shideh’s medical textbook is still in the djinn’s possession, implying they may still be harassed.

Cast

Narges Rashidi as Shideh
Avin Manshadi as Dorsa
Bobby Naderi as Iraj
Ray Haratian as Mr. Ebrahimi
Arash Marandi as Dr. Reza
Bijan Daneshmand as Director
Aram Ghasemy as Mrs Ebrahimi
Saussan Farrokhnia as Mrs Fakur
Behi Djanati Atai as Pargol
Hamidreza Djavdan as Mr Fakur
Nabil Koni as Mr Bijari
Karam Rashayda as Mehdi
Zainab Zamamiri as Sogand
Khaled Zamamiri as Ali
Adel Darageh as pot-bellied man
Jalal Izzat as glazier
Suhaila Armani as female prison guard
Amir Hossein Ranjbar as young soldier
Houshang Ranjbar as senior police officer

Also in the cast are Ehab Rousan and Rami Mehyar as revolutionary guards, Ahmad Mehyar and Abu Rashed as paramedics and Zeid Jad and Motasem Younis as fire-fighters.

Production

The film’s global premiere was in January 2016 at the Sundance Film Festival. The rights to the film were subsequently acquired by streaming service Netflix; Vertical Entertainment and XYZ Films will assist in VOD releases and a limited theatrical showing starting on 07 October in the United States.

Trivia

Produced by British film company Wigwam Films, the film is an international co-production between Qatar, Jordan, and the United Kingdom.
The film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by US streaming service Netflix.
It was selected as the British entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.

Production & Filming Details

Director(s):
- Babak Anvari
Producer(s):
- Patrick Fischer … executive producer
- Khaled Haddad … executive producer
- Nick Harbinson … executive producer
- Emily Leo … producer (produced by)
- Donall McCusker … co-producer
- Duncan McWilliam … executive producer
- Oliver Roskill … producer (produced by)
- Sanjay Shah … executive producer
- Lucan Toh … producer (produced by)
- Tim Werenko … producer: english version (uncredited)
Writer(s):
- Babak Anvari
Music:
- Gavin Cullen
- Will McGillivray
Cinematography:
- Kit Fraser … director of photography
Editor(s):
- Chris Barwell
Production:
- Wigwam Films (A Wigwam Films Production)
- Creativity Capital (in association with)
- MENA Film (in association with)
- Doha Film Institute (supported by)
Distributor(s):
- AMG Entertainment (Japan, 2019)(theatrical)
- Front Row Filmed Entertainment (United Arab Emirates, 2016)(Middle East, North Africa & Iran, theatrical)
- Seven Films (Greece, 2016)(theatrical)
- Vertigo Releasing (United Kingdom, 2016)(theatrical)
- Mongkol Major (Thailand, 2017)
- Netflix (World-wide, 2016)(video)
- Netflix (Australia, 2017)(VOD, video)
- Netflix (Brazil, 2017)(VOD, video)
- Netflix (Japan, 2017)(internet, video)
- Vertical Entertainment (World-wide, 2016)(VOD, theatrical, video)
- XYZ Films (United States, 2016)
Release Date: 22 January 2016 (Sundance Film Festival, US).
Running Time: 84 minutes.
Rating: 15.
Country: UK, Jordan, and Qatar.
Language: Persian.