I think it's a political horror movie, and it's generally refreshing. Metaphors are everywhere: cracks in the roof, bibles blowing in the wind, dolls stolen by ghosts from girls. And the so-called "ghost" that actually exists is really just a symbolic quilt in this low-budget movie (flickering by, so I think I can probably find a piercing shot after freezing). There is no special effect blessing, but the horror atmosphere penetrates into the daily life of the mother and daughter from the political dialogue in the title.
The application of horror elements in the movie is extremely restrained, and it is even a bit familiar to those who are familiar with horror movies, such as the amplification of the sound effect of the bread machine, and the hand entering through the broken window. As the rhythm picks up, the shot moves from a more monolithic family scene to moving through other rooms and hallways of the apartment. These slightly playful emotional points paint a vague image of a "giant" pointing directly at a country ravaged by military and censorship violence during the Iran-Iraq war. Through the sound of gunfire and the faint groans of ghosts in the ceiling, ancient Middle Eastern mythology and harsh reality are juxtaposed. It's not the ghosts that are spawned by fear, but the fear itself, the eyes staring at you at the door.
In the mother-daughter predicament, the sacrifice of motherhood—the forbidden video tapes secretly hidden, the scolding of the husband on the phone—reflects the incompetence and absence of men. And there are bombs hanging forever above her head, and the hole in the roof of the apartment building is an opening torn open by the war, and there is nowhere to hide. The heroine, Shideh, who retreats from the political community and finally escapes from the confined space with her daughter in her arms, is a sensible and rare scene in the genre, and she happens to be one of the few Iranian women who can drive a car.
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