As if living in a war-torn city in the aftermath of an
uprising and having to regularly head to the basement because bombs are
dropping all around isn’t terrifying enough, what do you do when a mysterious
evil haunts you and your child? That sucks, and it’s also what happens to
Shideh (Narges Rashidi) and her young daughter, Dorsa (Avin Manshadi), in Babak
Anvaris’ excellent new Iranian horror film Under the Shadow, which just screened at SIFF.
Picked up by Netflix, Under the Shadow
lit audiences on fire at Sundance, and with good reason. This is tense,
terrifying, slow-burn horror that works every last frayed nerve ending,
ratcheting up the dread and pressure to near-unbearable levels. It’s gathered
comparisons to recent genre killers It Follows and
The Babadook, and though I don’t think it will hit quite as
wide—the subtitles will turn of a more mainstream audience, though I’d love to
be proven wrong—it’s every bit as good as those films. (Cards on the table, I’m
apparently the only human alive who doesn’t adore The
Babadook, make of that what you will.)
Following the Iranian Cultural Revolution in the 1980s, and
in the midst of the Iran-Iraq War, Shideh is banished from continuing her
medical studies because of her prior political involvement. This impossible educational
dream leads to friction with her understanding yet practical husband, himself a
doctor who focused on school rather than politics. When his compulsory military
service comes up, Shideh and Dorsa are left alone in their apartment building.
Before delving into the traditional genre elements,
Under the Shadow paints a picture of the larger world
outside, one with its own horrors to contend with. Death, very real, concrete
death, surrounds them. The possibility of disaster looms large, and Anvaris
puts in the time to create an authentic, lived-in feel. When the moment is
right, into this already harrowing environment, an ideal stage for horror, come
the djinn, ephemeral supernatural spirits from Islamic mythology who torment
the mother and daughter.
The djinn don’t just pop out from around corners and yell,
“Boo.” There are jump scares, incredibly effective ones—especially judging by
the shrieks that rang out the theater—but Anvaris knows how to dole them out,
keeping them in reserve and using the specters to punctuate the palpable terror
and dread he creates.
A slew of familiar horror components—sinister ghosts, unexpected
sounds in the dark, a contained setting—sift through an unusual cultural filter
that brings a freshness and thematic depth to Under the
Shadow. A female protagonist is nothing new for the genre, though the
strict religious environment adds a tenuous twist to the formula—we witness
firsthand how fleeing from the evil spirits with her head uncovered could have
consequences every bit as drastic and severe as remaining behind. Even
era-appropriate touches, like a Jane Fonda workout tape, take on unexpected
significance as Dorsa is reminded not to mention having a VCR around a stranger.
Shideh’s struggle to survive and escape goes far beyond, and
even precedes the horror story. She’s confined by social constructs and
religious forces, faces fears that she’s a bad mother, and worries about the
support of her husband. Under the Shadow toes the line of
whether or not something supernatural is really happening longer than many
similar films, and by the time the djinn finally manifest, they’re an extension
of these external threats.
Under the Shadow has all of the makings of
a new horror classic: a compelling protagonist to root for, a unique setting
and mythology, visceral and psychological terror, and creepy, effective
monsters. This is all the more impressive for being Babak Anvaris’ debut
feature, and he uses a deft, unsettling touch to craft a tight, captivating,
not to mention scary as hell, horror film. [Grade: B+/A-]
No comments:
Post a Comment