Under the Shadow (netflix)
Comparisons with the Babadook are inevitable, given the film's focus on a young mother who finds herself suddenly alone, dealing with a child who can be difficult. What this film does though, is mix in the peril of its characters living through the Iran-Iraq war, in a Tehran under bombardment. Not only that, the regime's cultural repression is a lurking presence throughout - leading to one particularly memorable, tense scene in which the terrified, fleeing protagonists are detained for being inappropriately dressed. Obviously made on a small budget, but done with invention and a keen eye for a sense of dread. Interesting as well is its use of an Islamic millieu, not often seen in horror film.
Not a film for the "I watched a minute of this and switched it off" merchants, as it builds intensity and dread steadily and deliberately, but undoubtedly my main feature this week - all the more impressive as Babak Anvari's first feature (as both writer and director!). Sadly, the Netflix version has been dubbed incongruously into English, with strong US accents. It says a lot for the film that it's engrossing and disturbing despite that.
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