The World of Movies: The Shadow
Written by Rachael Crawley
The World of Movies is a series that explores global cinema, drawing on films from many countries, industries and eras. This week, we encounter the supernatural in the United Arab Emirates.
The Shadow.
May contain spoilers.
The Shadow (2019) comes from the UAE’s first female filmmaker, Nayla al Khaja, a prolific director who specializes in shorts. Inspired by an incident she witnessed in her own childhood, it looks into questions of family, faith, and the perception of illness.
Maryam (Sara al Aqeeli) visits a local cleric (Mohannad Huthail), concerned about her sick son – not from a regular disease, she insists, but instead from demonic possession. The cleric questions her about potential malevolent influences, but agrees that he must be treated. Through flashbacks, we learn more about how he came to this position, and what drove Maryam to seek his counsel. Is the boy possessed, or physically ill? Is the cleric the healing figure he claims to be?
This film is genuinely creepy. Al Khaja effectively makes use of the household spaces in this film, bringing out every dark corner and ominous piece of décor. Simple things like water turn into objects of fear. The small cast is quite effective, from al Aqeeli’s demoralized fear to the vacant stare of the cleric’s young son. As a vignette, it has some effective horror tropes and begins to raise interesting questions. The scenes we see here show a lot of potential, and could easily become a half-hour short or feature (as opposed to its breezy fifteen minutes). It can’t fully explore its themes in the given time, but overall, it’s very promising.
The Shadow.
In fact, The Shadow is an excerpt from a larger feature, which al Khaja is currently preparing – not an uncommon technique in independent film. Based on the skill demonstrated already, I’m excited to see the finished movie, and future projects from all involved. In the meantime, check out this intriguing new entry in the world of horror.
Rachael Crawley holds a Master's Degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, and has worked with film in Canada and in Europe. She adores language and cinema, and how these subjects interact with each other.