Ghosts or evil presences in the houses are among the most used and abused themes in cinema. But if the story it is original and the director is capable to tell, everything takes an interesting perspective and let's faces it, very scary.

Babak Anvari Iranian filmmaker, who moved to London, made his first feature film, mixing the memories, folklore and especially his nightmares. Anvari in 1988 was little more than a child and was one of the many victims of the madness of others, one of many who had to live with the nightmare of the war. An infamous War, ambiguous and very long: the one between Iran-Iraq, in a country that was traveling more and more to the religious authoritarianism.

Nightmares. Afraid of the bombs, to be abandoned, to be alone. The father, a doctor, moved to the front. Anvari then passes the time with his brother and his mother, who for understandable reasons passes to the children all her fears. A stress that generates in the two brothers recurring nightmares.

And from this dramatic experience, Anvari creates "Under the Shadow", a film co-produced by Britain, Jordan (where is filmed) and Qatar. Presented at the "Sundance Festival" and already acquired by "Netflix", this film has made full of acclaim and awards, thanks to the mix of themes, a good direction and a cinematography that plays well with livid colors and shadows. But in addition to entertainment of the genre, "Under the Shadow" has far more deep meanings. The innocent victims of the war, the role of women in Iran and the socio-political changes in the country and its restrictions applies. Not to mention that one of the monsters has the chador, symbolizing another oppression.
The protagonist is Shideh, played by Iranian actress Narges Rashidi, who moved to Turkey and then in Germany who has lived, too, the period of the conflict.
Shideh, modern woman doing gymnastics watching a Jane Fonda VHS, would like to continue her medical studies, interrupt during the revolution, but the government denies permission for her affinity to the left-wing factions. Iraj her husband, played by Bobby Naderi, it’s a doctor who is transferred to the front, leaving the wife and daughter Dorsa, alone in the condominium where they live. Iraj tries to convince Shideh to move from his parents, but she does not want, a bit 'for the bad relations and a little' to show the ability to look after his own daughter (the strength of Iranian women) .

Between sirens and attempts to live a normal life, in the building it goes on trying to help each other. But one day an unexploded bomb breaks the roof and kills the old inhabitant. From here on, strange presences seem to have occupied the building. Dorsa accuses the disappearance of her doll, a central object in her life, a refuge from sorrows and life companion, whose disappearance causes her an incurable fever. The mother, however, women of science does not want to believe these appearances and continues unabated to live there. Yet strange things happen, strange visions and strange nightmares and while the apartment building slowly empties with people escaping. When even Shideh was aware of the sinister presences, it is too late. She can’t leave the building without the doll of her daughter.

The Jinn (or Dijin) are part of the folk beliefs of the Middle East and are supernatural entities suspended between life and the afterlife, which torment the protagonists. Beings that are not explained as well as their presence remain mysterious.

Returning again to the fact that we have seen all in horror movies, Anvari managed well to scare the viewer with the classic creepy monsters that suddenly appear and especially touching the right cords of the soul of the audience. It’s very able to make good use of all that he has available, settling a good part of the history in the building, dividing the whole in the apartment and in the air-raid shelter. He slips sometimes on some clichés of the genre, such as no forced abandonment of the home or with the doll that becomes a central point in all history. And finally, he doesn’t exploit some narrative threads as the mute child that gives to Dorsa an anti-Dorsa evil fetish (which is collected from the mother). But apart from that "Under the Shadow" is an original film, well played and cathartic for the young director who also invites us to a profound reflection.