Director: Babak Anvari
Cast: Adel Darageh, Aram Ghasemy, Arash Marandi, Avin Manshadi, Behi Djanati Atai
Zire Sayeh (Under the Shadow) is a 2016 Iranian-British drama-horror film directed by Babak Anvari, set in Tehran during the final years of the Iran-Iraq War. The film follows a mother and her young daughter as supernatural occurrences begin to disturb their apartment, unfolding against the backdrop of 1980s wartime Tehran.
What is Zire Sayeh about?
Shideh, a woman living in Tehran during the late 1980s, is raising her young daughter Dorsa largely on her own while her husband serves as a doctor in the war effort. Isolated in their apartment building as neighbors gradually flee the city, the pair endure air-raid sirens and the daily anxieties of a city in conflict. When a missile strikes nearby, leaving an unexploded warhead lodged in the building's upper floor, a creeping sense of dread begins to take hold. Dorsa becomes attached to a mysterious figure she calls a djinn, and objects — including her beloved doll — start disappearing. Shideh grows increasingly desperate to protect her daughter, uncertain whether the threat they face is physical, supernatural, or born of their own fear and grief.
Cast & crew
Babak Anvari directs from his own original screenplay in his feature debut. Narges Rashidi leads the film as Shideh. Avin Manshadi portrays Dorsa, the young daughter. Supporting performances include Arash Marandi as the husband, Bobby Naderi, Behi Djanati Atai, Bijan Daneshmand, Adel Darageh, Hamid Djavadan, and Aram Ghasemy.
Context & significance
Zire Sayeh occupies a distinctive place in genre cinema as an Iranian-language horror film that situates its supernatural premise within a specific and well-documented historical period. For diaspora viewers who grew up with stories of wartime Tehran, or who have family histories rooted in that era, the film's domestic setting and atmosphere carry particular resonance. The genre framework of supernatural horror provides the structure, while the details — rationing, curfews, crumbling infrastructure, the weight of everyday survival — form the texture. The film is spoken in Persian and was shot with attention to the visual grammar of 1980s Iranian domestic life, making it a meaningful viewing experience for Persian-speaking audiences worldwide.
Where & how to watch
Zire Sayeh is available to stream on K-Time. The film is in Persian with no dubbed version; watch with subtitles or enjoy the original audio. Stream on your TV, computer, or phone — no extra download, no VPN, no geo-blocking. Subscribe and cancel anytime.