Under the Shadow (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Shideh's refusal to leave stems from her deep-seated defiance and trauma from the political upheaval. After being prevented from completing her medical education due to her leftist student group affiliations, she feels defeated by the regime and refuses to be displaced again. Additionally, leaving would mean admitting failure and accepting the government's control over her life. Her attachment to the apartment, her claimed space in a city that has already taken so much from her, makes departure feel like another loss.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Shideh discarding her medical textbooks but clinging to her mother's gifted physiology book, indicating her complex relationship with both her past ambitions and maternal bonds.

• shideh
• tehran
• iran-iraq war
• daughter dorsa
• refusal to leave

The djinn is an ancient Middle Eastern supernatural entity described as a spirit that can possess people and steal cherished belongings. Mrs. Ebrahimi explains that djinns are drawn to vulnerable individuals during times of chaos and upheaval. In the film, the djinn appears to target the apartment building's remaining residents, particularly targeting Dorsa after she receives the protective charm from the boy. The entity seems to feed on loss and displacement, manifesting as a ghostly figure in a black chador.

Foreshadowing: The boy who lost his parents in an attack gives Dorsa a charm specifically designed to ward off evil spirits, establishing the djinn's presence early in the narrative.

• djinn
• supernatural
• spirit
• haunting
• chador
• iranian folklore

Dorsa begins seeing spirits after receiving the protective charm from the boy, which may have actually opened her perception to the supernatural world. Her illness and weakened state during the war make her more vulnerable to djinn influence. Additionally, the trauma of losing her doll Kimia during the missile attack creates an emotional opening for the entity to connect with her. The film suggests children are more sensitive to the djinn's presence, as Shideh initially cannot see what Dorsa sees.

Foreshadowing: The boy warns Dorsa about djinns and gives her the charm specifically because he understands the danger, hinting at his own traumatic encounter with these entities.

• dorsa
• spirits
• visions
• child
• djinn
• supernatural perception

The boy from the Ebrahimi family lost both his parents in a bombing attack, which is why he now lives with his cousins. The trauma of witnessing his parents' death has rendered him mute, he has not spoken since the tragedy. Despite his silence, he still possesses knowledge about djinns and how to protect against them, likely learned from his cultural background or perhaps from his own encounter with the supernatural. His gift of the charm to Dorsa is his way of sharing protection after experiencing loss himself.

Foreshadowing: Mrs. Ebrahimi reveals the boy's muteness as evidence of his traumatic experience, connecting the supernatural knowledge he shares with his personal tragedy.

• ebrahimi boy
• charm
• muted
• parents death
• protective charm

The phone call represents the djinn's ability to manipulate and weaponize Shideh's deepest fears and guilt. The entity intercepts or mimics Iraj's voice to psychologically attack Shideh about her perceived failures as a mother. This supernatural intrusion preys on her isolation and the constant worry about protecting Dorsa during the war. The call is not actually from Iraj, it's the djinn exploiting Shideh's internal monologue about her inadequacy, using her husband's voice as a psychological weapon.

Foreshadowing: Shideh's anxiety about being a good mother while trapped in a dangerous city has been building throughout the film, making her vulnerable to this type of psychological attack.

• phone call
• djinn
• psychological attack
• ijraj
• shideh guilt

The ending suggests that Shideh and Dorsa have not truly escaped the djinn's influence. The severed doll's head left behind serves as the entity's claim over them, while taking Shideh's medical textbook, her last connection to her mother and her abandoned medical career, indicates the djinn will continue to haunt them psychologically. The open ending implies their trauma and the supernatural threat will persist even in physical safety, leaving their fate ominously unresolved.

Foreshadowing: Shideh's attachment to the textbook symbolizes her unresolved past and lost identity, making it a meaningful object for the djinn to claim.

• ending
• kimia
• doll
• textbook
• medical book
• unresolved
• cliffhanger

The djinn targets Kimia because dolls represent vulnerable children, making them ideal vessels for supernatural entities. Djinns are said to take cherished possessions, and Kimia is Dorsa's most treasured item, her only comfort during wartime trauma. By taking Kimia, the djinn gains power over both the doll and Dorsa's emotional state. The entity seems to understand that attacking a child's beloved object causes maximum psychological damage to the family.

Foreshadowing: Iraj specifically tells Dorsa that Kimia will guard her, establishing the doll's protective significance before the djinn takes it.

• kimia
• doll
• taken
• cherished possession
• djinn motive

Shideh's medical physiology textbook represents her lost identity, professional aspirations, and connection to her late mother who gifted it to her. She discarded her other medical books in resignation after being barred from completing her degree, but she kept this one as a tangible link to her mother and her former self. The djinn taking this specific book represents the entity's ability to strip away the last remnants of Shideh's identity and hope, deepening the psychological horror.

Foreshadowing: The opening scenes establish Shideh's difficult decision to abandon her medical career, making the retained textbook a symbol of what she has lost but cannot let go of.

• textbook
• medical book
• mother
• gift
• identity loss
• shideh

The ghostly figure in the black chador is the manifestation of the djinn, drawn from traditional Iranian folklore where djinns often appear as spectral figures. The chador, a traditional Iranian women's garment, makes the entity culturally authentic to the setting. This form represents the djinn's ability to appear as a familiar, domestic presence before revealing its malicious intent. The figure primarily targets Shideh during her most vulnerable moments, particularly when she is alone and exhausted.

Foreshadowing: Mrs. Ebrahimi's warnings about djinns taking the form of familiar figures establish the cultural context for this terrifying manifestation.

• chador
• ghost
• figure
• manifestation
• djinn appearance

Shideh refuses to acknowledge her PTSD because doing so would mean admitting she is breaking down under the pressure, something she cannot afford while solely responsible for Dorsa's safety. The film depicts how war trauma compounds with supernatural terror, but Shideh's survival depends on remaining functional and in control. Her denial also reflects the cultural stigma around mental health, especially for women expected to hold families together during crisis. This repression ultimately makes her more vulnerable to the djinn's psychological attacks.

Foreshadowing: The film opens with Shideh's backstory of political defeat and academic loss, establishing her pattern of suppressing trauma rather than processing it.

• ptsd
• trauma
• denial
• mental health
• shideh
• war trauma