Under the Shadow (2016)
Stars: Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi
Runtime: 84 minutes
Synopsis: As a mother and daughter struggle to cope with the terrors of the post-revolution, war-torn Tehran of the 1980s, a mysterious evil begins to haunt their home.
Performances: 3/5
Screenplay: 3/5
Special Effects: 2/5
Costumes/Makeup: 3/5
Editing: 3/5
Cinematography: 3/5
Score/Soundtrack: 2/5
Verdict: We've seen countless horror films related to the Christian faith. Maybe even too many. "Under the Shadow", on the other hand, is one of the very few movies (I currently can't think of any other one) that uses elements from Islamic culture to tell a scary story.
The events take place in a war-torn Tehran during the 1980s, as a progressive mother and her child find themselves dealing with the repercussions of the conflict with Iraq. It's definitely no coincidence that the protagonist also found herself fighting an evil spirit, called Jinn in Islamic mythology, as a way of symbolizing the religious suffocation endured by women living in these places, which I found to be by far the most interesting aspect of a movie that otherwise felt a little safe. I found the main character of Shideh, played by the talented Narges Rashidi, to sacrifice a few times common sense for no apparent reason. The war setting also never entirely feels genuine, and its destructive consequences are never explored. I never really felt the emotional or physical weight of the conflict, which is described in the beginning of the film as being one of the most terrorizing ones of its time. The scares were pretty basic, and nothing truly stood out from the film on a technical level.
Overall, I'd say that I appreciated "Under the Shadow" more than I loved it. It does tackle very relevant themes in quite a smart way but as a horror film, or even film in general, never leaves its comfort zone.
FINAL GRADE: 5/10
The events take place in a war-torn Tehran during the 1980s, as a progressive mother and her child find themselves dealing with the repercussions of the conflict with Iraq. It's definitely no coincidence that the protagonist also found herself fighting an evil spirit, called Jinn in Islamic mythology, as a way of symbolizing the religious suffocation endured by women living in these places, which I found to be by far the most interesting aspect of a movie that otherwise felt a little safe. I found the main character of Shideh, played by the talented Narges Rashidi, to sacrifice a few times common sense for no apparent reason. The war setting also never entirely feels genuine, and its destructive consequences are never explored. I never really felt the emotional or physical weight of the conflict, which is described in the beginning of the film as being one of the most terrorizing ones of its time. The scares were pretty basic, and nothing truly stood out from the film on a technical level.
Overall, I'd say that I appreciated "Under the Shadow" more than I loved it. It does tackle very relevant themes in quite a smart way but as a horror film, or even film in general, never leaves its comfort zone.
FINAL GRADE: 5/10
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