Under the Shadow (2016): Horror Tropes with a Twist

“A woman should be more scared of exposing herself than anything.” – words said to Under the Shadow’s protagonist, Shideh, after she was arrested for running down the streets without a hijab in the middle of the night, her young child in tow.

Shideh narrowly escaped being publicly flogged for her misdemeanour. She was sent back in disgrace to the near-abandoned apartment complex she shared with her daughter. But did anybody question what they were running from?

From IMDb: "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."

Set in Tehran, the capital city of Iran, Under the Shadow is prefaced by a statement about the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988). We see Shideh, a woman forced to leave her university studies behind for the crime of being ‘politically active’ during a revolution, drive home fully-covered, where she breaks down after realising her dreams of becoming a doctor have been crushed. After tensions rise in her household, her medic husband is stationed in Elam, a place considered to be right in the middle of the fighting. Shideh and their daughter Dorsa are invited to stay with his parents in a safer part of the country, yet Shideh was adamant that they would be fine in the Tehran apartment and resolved to stay. As missiles fall and the rest of the occupants abandon the apartment complex for a better quality of life elsewhere, viewers are made to wonder just what it would take for Shideh to pack up and leave herself. If the wailing war sirens, missile threats, and isolation weren’t bad enough, the sound of the wind, ever present through the gaping cracks in the building, carries foreboding…

Viewers are made to question which is scarier; the harsh, dangerous reality of living in a politically-unstable warzone with nearly no rights at all; or the dark thrill of paranormal suspense?

Unsurprisingly, reality is scarier than fiction. Perhaps this is where Under the Shadow falls flat. Had the focus been placed on the horrors of the Iran-Iraq war, and the impact on family units being broken up for compulsory military services, I believe this film could have been more harrowing – especially for Western, modern-day viewers (myself included) who haven’t had the misfortune of living in a warzone, and therefore haven’t truly acknowledged just how traumatic it can be.

Adding the horror genre to this kind of wartime situation does have its own intrigues, yet once viewers get past the setting and historical context, the horror tropes become just that – an add-on. While forces from both this world and the supernatural world join to make Shideh and Dorsa’s lives miserable, I can’t help but feel like we’ve seen this kind of film play out before. For example, StanleyKubrick’s The Shining; a mother and her child battle the horrors of their everyday lives (an abusive father/husband in place of war), and are faced with paranormal terror, all whilst being trapped in a secluded building they are forced to call home…

The stereotypical horror tropes become numerous and cliché once counted out; family dysfunction, a mother or parent that refuses to leave the situation until the haunting becomes unbearable, children that are ultra-aware of the paranormal, lighting and cinematography to create tension, characters who are trapped, creepy basements and attics, doors slamming or being unable to open, and ghostly aspects that manage to be unnerving but are vastly overdone within the genre (no facial features to the paranormal being, rushing jumpscares, and jerky movements). It’s my opinion that the horror genre needs more innovative plotlines, and jumpscares are too overdone nowadays to really shock viewers of modern-day cinema.

That being said, the link between Shideh being trapped both by her cultural situation and by the Djinn attempting to take control of her daughter, is an aspect which interests me. While it’s my opinion that the paranormal plotline detracts from what really makes Under the Shadow frightening, I appreciate the parallels. After all, it was being arrested for forgetting to wear a hijab which forced Shideh back into to the apartment complex she was running from.

Overall: ★★★☆☆

Festen (1998): An Uncomfortably Realistic Farce

Irony, realism, and disquieting elements of farce mixed with tragedy is what comes to mind when I think of Thomas Vinterberg's 'Festen'. It is not a comfortable, lighthearted watch by any means. The combination of Dogme 95’s method of filming and the brutally honest storyline can be almost overpowering and anxiety-inducing. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire 105 minutes, barely daring to breathe or move!

From IMDb: "At Helge's 60th birthday party, some unpleasant family truths are revealed."

The camera is unsteady and moves around as it follows Christian, making his way to his old family home for father Helge’s 60^th birthday. We are then introduced to Christian’s brothers and sisters as they also travel to their father’s mansion house, for what should have been a happy occasion. The viewer is thrown into the action of the story right away, with the loud, harsh noises of squealing tires on gravel paths, ringing bells, slamming of doors, shrieking car horns, strained motor engines, and aggressive slapping of backs and shoulders. Even in the opening scenes there is a chaotic, almost angry atmosphere (and this pretty much carries on throughout the entirety of the film). The aggressive shoulder slapping between Christian and his brother Michael clues us in to the fact that Christian isn’t exactly welcome at his father’s birthday party – we later find out why he isn’t welcome, in one of the most uncomfortable dinner party scenes I’ve ever had to watch…

There are no flashbacks or cuts to other moments in the narratives’ timeline, so as viewers we are forced to stay in the present, almost as though we too are family members forced to stick through the severely humiliating, tragic dinner party as silent witnesses. The atmosphere is almost claustrophobic as Christian reads out the green speech revealing the dark secrets kept in his family (ironically at Helge’s request).

Saving face is probably one of the most important key themes to this film. Even Christian’s brutally honest speech did nothing to phase the rest of the guests at bourgeoise Helge’s party – he is met by stony silence, laughter, and rejection through his many attempts to raise awareness to the issue of Helge’s violent past. The visually and auditorily aggressive ways the house guests dance, scream with laughter, and party, looked almost like a way to save face and forget about the tension throughout the embarrassment of Helge’s birthday.

Through Christian’s very bold move of revealing the abuse they suffered as children, the anger and despair shown by him and his siblings, Michael and Helene, becomes very understandable and easily sympathised with. While Michael is every bit as wild, chaotic, and violent as the story itself, his extreme emotions and unpredictability made him probably the most interesting character, in my opinion. Towards the end of the film he redeemed himself a lot in my eyes by bringing a sense of justice to Helge, who deserved what he got, and much more.

In a way, watching Festen feels almost like being a fly on the wall, watching as the events in Helge’s family unfold. Being filmed entirely on a 35mm handheld camera made Festen raw and intimate; the style is eerily reminiscent of watching an old documentary or family home video. I really do think this film will be sticking with me for a long time, and it will be a while before I forget what happened at Helge's 60th birthday celebration… Part of what makes this film so powerful and memorable is how realistic it feels, both in storyline and in the method of filming.

Overall: ★★★★☆