Under the Shadow (2016)Directed by Babak Anvari
There comes a point in 'Under the Shadow' where it becomes apparent that the raw, visceral terror
that Shideh (portrayed by the uber-talented Narges Rashidi) is experiencing due to the stressors of living as a progressive woman in a conservative, male-dominated war-torn Theran has manifested itself in the form of a supernatural force. The beautiful, heartbreaking poignancy of the moment is made all the more impactful due to the fact that her very real struggle (to keep her daughter alive and healthy, while daring to dream of an intellectually stimulating and life-affirming future) is the very base and, seemingly, instrument of the otherworldly being(s) that haunt her.
Much like Hideo Nakata's 2002 masterpiece 'Dark Water', 'Under the Shadow' concerns itself with cultural immersion to create tone and context for the horror on screen, thrusting the viewer from the first frame onward into a foreign landscape of disillusionment and repression. Shideh is a woman seeking an education as a doctor, one she abandoned in her youth in lieu of political advocacy. However, from the moment the film begins its careful tread, Shideh is scolded for her way of thinking, denied entrance to university and told to 'find a new dream'.
In so many words the film quickly informs the viewer that Shideh's struggle is as much internal as it is external. Her husband tells her that her denial to university is 'for the best'. An opinion that seems to dominate the perspective of every character she encounters, her husband even insinuating that to be a good mother, she should embrace the opportunity to stay at home with her daughter.
Identity is such an important concept in any great horror film. Be you hero or monster, your identity, the very essence of your being, is the most frightening thing to lose and the most precious to protect. Right away, the film establishes Shideh's identity as one that is in flux and in very real danger of dissipating into something soulless and hollow.
At the same time, we are introduced to an Iranian city on the brink of destruction. Throughout the film, the characters are privy to more and more conjecture and rumor about the missiles that Iraq is surely planning to bombard them with. Frequent visits to the stone, unfeeling basement of their apartment complex showcases the day-to-day normalcy of the expectation of disaster. The sort of complacency that comes along with living in a world where bombs falling from the sky is an inevitability and not a distant nightmare.
The world depicted in 'Under the Shadow' is fraught with uncertainty and pain, grief and anger, one which breeds fear and bad decisions- all of this before there is ever a supernatural force present within the narrative.
There in lies the real strength and heart of this film: the Djinn which arguably haunt the apartment above Shideh's own, are secondary to the threat of the very world she inhabits. The lofty, conceptual threat of possession and illness put upon her daughter is one of the few things Shideh comes to realize she can control. Possibly change. The film contains many messages, but, among them, is this:
Resolve and strength of character will out. The world is unforgiving and its cruelty incalculable at times, but, as another character so eloquently puts it in the first few minutes of the film:
"That's the climate right now. Don't let it change you."
The bulk of the film concerns Shideh and her daughter Dorsa (played by the very talented Avin Manshadi) as they attempt to navigate the increasingly bleak and decaying apartment complex which is rapidly losing tenants to safer harbors. Her husband is drafted to war, a man depicted as Dorsa's protector in the young girl's eyes, serving to further fortify Shideh's belief that she is viewed as an inadequate mother, incapable of keeping their daughter safe. However, their struggle is largely an emotional one, as Shideh fights to stay present and compassionate for her daughter despite her repressed rage (occupying what she believes to be the identity of a "good" mother, after losing her own only six months prior in an undisclosed manner) while Dorsa falls victim to a seemingly never-ending fever.
'Under the Shadow' balances all of this with ease and grace, cautiously treading toward a mounting sense of dread that permeates even the smallest interactions between Shideh and Dorsa. All the while director Babak Anvari masterfully weaves the environment as an aggressor, not just a state of being, yet another method that keeps Shideh locked in place with the creatures so hellbent on taking away the last meaningful relationship she has left: that of her daughter. The laws and rules which apply to her as a woman in Iran made the world outside her apartment walls a very real threat and one that could not be overcome so easily (as, say, a specter).
The film is as much about the spiritual, the intellectual and the physical as it is about the confines of the society which it inhabits. 'Under the Shadow', in short, offers a lot to unpack. The film is quiet and disconcerting while simultaneously loud and angry in its protagonist's point of view. The imagery is haunting and the performances are equally so, a truly special and unique venture that utilized every element of its filmic world to tell and further its story and message.
Shideh's struggle will grip you emotionally, the injustices forged against her will draw your rage and her relationship with her daughter will fuel your compassion. As for that which resides in the apartment above? Well, that will spark your imagination and, hopefully, aid in helping you draw some very real conclusions on what is truly important in this life.
Paul Farrell
5 Stars / 5 Stars
