Shideh (Narges Rashidi), still smarting from her rejection in medical school for previous political affiliations, refuses to evacuate Tehran with her daughter, Dorsa (Avin Manshadi), despite the threat of missile strikes from Iraq. The two stay in place long after all the other residents have left, but they don't feel alone. Dorsa believes evil spirits, the Djinn, have stolen her doll and she can't leave until she finds it. Shideh doesn't believe in Djinn, but she cannot deny that strange things are happening, noises in the night, bad dreams, a fever that won't break. She has to embrace her past in order to save her daughter.
There's a lot of social commentary in this film. It's basically an extended metaphor about the fear and trauma of 1980s Iranian women when the entire world seemed to shift against them. Even now there are massive protests about the enforced wearing of the hijab as part of a larger protest about the curtailing of bodily autonomy, making this movie all the more relevant and topical today.
Also, it's pretty scary. It has excellent use of tension and peripheral vision, even if you can see the various beats before they happen. Just top marks all around. It's currently streaming on Netflix.
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