Under the Shadow

About

In 1988 Tehran, Shideh’s attempts to rejoin medical school after getting married and having daughter Dorsa are thwarted as a consequence of her politically active history. Her husband is sent off to serve in the Iran-Iraq War while Iraqi air raids draw perilously close to their own apartment. As she is left alone with Dorsa after neighbors and friends flee from a city in chaos, her daughter becomes increasingly ill and seemingly disturbed. Shideh initially dismisses Dorsa’s tantrums over a missing doll, but she reluctantly comes to suspect that they’ve been targeted by djinn—malevolent spirits that steal from those they seek to possess.

Babak Anvari’s ambitious feature debut blends period detail and social critique with a good old-fashioned horror story, crafting a film that is as smart as it is scary. Anchored by Narges Rashidi’s stellar performance, Under the Shadow presents Shideh’s experience as a strong, defiant woman—frustrated by a society that has consistently admonished her for her independence—as she single-handedly battles a multitude of dangers from both the physical and supernatural worlds in order to save herself and her child.

YEAR 2016

SECTION Midnight

COUNTRY United Kingdom/Jordan/Qatar

RUN TIME 84 min

LANGUAGE Farsi

SUBTITLES Yes with English subtitles

EMAIL tom@wigwamfilms.com

Credits

Director
Screenwriter
Executive Producer
Producer
Cinematographer
Editor
Composer
Co Producer
Production Designer
Costume Designer
Sound Designer
Actor

Artist Bio

Babak Anvari

Babak Anvari is an Iranian-born, award-winning filmmaker based in London. In 2012, Anvari was selected as one of the eight rising stars in film and media at Cristal Festival Europe’s Young Directors Forum. His short film Two & Two was nominated for a BAFTA in 2012.