Under the Shadow / Babak Anvari

Superficially, this film has more in common with the Antipodean Babadook than with the Oriental Gothic of The Wailing.

Great Movie, Terrible Poster. Terrible Strap-line.

We have a mother and child; a greyed out house with claustrophobic interiors; waking nightmares and a very unreliable narrator. The monster takes a while to penetrate the interior. Snap.

But it is closer to The Wailing in terms of religious conviction and pacing.

I think The Babadook succeeded for stylistic reasons. In terms of plot -  it was the poor cousin to Dark Water or Rosemary's Baby, but its visual flair, and clever use of props (the children's book,  and late night flickering television) - made it feel pretty fresh.

Under the Shadow is less overtly scary than The Babadook, but it is in my opinion a better horror movie. It develops a more nuanced sense of fear -  it escalates gradually and with purpose. In terms of narrative, it is more logically satisfying.

The title itself brings a metaphorical gun to a knife fight. But I think it works.

Underneath the primary "ghost story" lies a discussion about three social issues and how they intersect. Religious conservatism, female emancipation and parental responsibility - in relation to a non-nuclear family unit - in 1980's Iran. A PHD beckons.

The Drowned Man is not the place for "cultural studies" so we will leave it up to our readers to fully investigate these burning issues - if they so wish!

Back to the Horror. It tosses up the requisite smattering of jump-scares, but it is confident enough to use extended pauses and disturbing shifts in time and place to Manufacture Discontent. It succeeds. During the last third of the movie I had a cushion close to hand.

Synopsis

Tehran, during the Iran-Iraq war. After her doctor-husband is conscripted, a neurotic mother must care for her 6 year old child in an increasingly deserted apartment block. An un-exploded missile penetrates the roof of the complex and this provokes a sequence of seemingly supernatural manifestations. Her neighbours are progressively compelled to leave until the mother and child must endure 2-3 nights of terror alone with the "djinn" or ghost in three separate locations: their own flat; the floor above in which the bomb landed; and the basement shelter. On their first attempt to escape from the apartment the mother is compelled to return by the Iranian religious police who enforce the night curfew. Eventually the mother and child are alone, trapped and at the mercy of a series of disturbing and inexplicable events.

The monster is, initially, less scary than that in The Babadook, but it's later manifestations become increasingly unpredictable and unnerving. The use of repetition - in the scenes set in the bomb shelter, the parking garage and the upstairs apartment - is well handled.

The performances of the mother and child are convincing and superior to those in the overly theatrical The Babadook. This naturalism is reflected in the interior sets and lighting, which portray a  comfortable middle class Iranian lifestyle. Warm colors and crowded domesticity. Great use of contrast between the Jane Fonda Aerobics videos and the veiled conservatism of public life in 80's Tehran. Subtle commentary about the physical consequences of Islamism for the educated classes, in terms of dress and behaviour.

Nevertheless, it is not an anti-religious film. Quite the opposite in fact, which is why I feel it lies closer in tone to the sustained hysteria of The Wailing.

8 out of 10 from the Editorial Board of The Drowned Man.

BTW. I am not beating up on The Babadook. Its a masterful film and will get its own post in due time.