Skip to main content
Documentary backdrop image for Sunless Shadows (2022)
74 minPGdocumentary
6.0/ 10(3 ratings)• TMDB
Family DynamicsWar Crimes
Watch later

Synopsis

A group of adolescent girls in an Iranian juvenile detention center confronts the realities of life after committing murder against male family members.

Awards & Festivals

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

Divorce Iranian Style (1998)
Worth an evening
1h16m

Divorce Iranian Style

1998•1h16m•★7.1

Three couples face a judge in an Iranian family court in 1998, where men can divorce without consequence while women risk losing financial support.

Divorce Iranian Style
1998
Father Murders Daughters In Planned Honor Killing (Murder Documentary) (2022)
1h44m

Father Murders Daughters In Planned Honor Killing (Murder Documentary)

2022•1h44m

In 2008, Sarah and Amina Said, two teenage sisters from Texas, were murdered by their father, Yaser Said, in a premeditated honor killing.

Father Murders Daughters In Planned Honor Killing (Murder Documentary)
2022
Teenagers in Jail: A Love Story Behind Bars (Prison Documentary) (2021)
46m

Teenagers in Jail: A Love Story Behind Bars (Prison Documentary)

2021•46m

Teenagers in juvenile detention navigate emotional struggles and a romantic relationship, highlighting the challenges faced by at-risk youth in the incarceration system.

Teenagers in Jail: A Love Story Behind Bars (Prison Documentary)
2021
Unveiled: Honour Killings (Scandal Documentary) (2018)
1h25m

Unveiled: Honour Killings (Scandal Documentary)

2018•1h25m

In a remote village in Northern Pakistan, a viral video of girls singing prompts a tribal jirga to allegedly order their murder, highlighting cultural tensions.

Unveiled: Honour Killings (Scandal Documentary)
2018
Iran rises up: Can the mullahs be toppled? (2022)
26m

Iran rises up: Can the mullahs be toppled?

2022•26m

Protests in Iran gain momentum as women and girls defy the regime amid a violent crackdown.

Iran rises up: Can the mullahs be toppled?
2022
Iran's Nuclear Scientist Murder Mystery (2014)
26m

Iran's Nuclear Scientist Murder Mystery

2014•26m

Widows demand answers as fingers point at the US and Israel for Dariush's murder.

Iran's Nuclear Scientist Murder Mystery
2014
No Motherly Instincts: Women Kills Her Your Own Child (2020)
46m

No Motherly Instincts: Women Kills Her Your Own Child

2020•46m

America imprisons more women than any other country, with over 1,800 female offenders held in two Indiana facilities for violent crimes.

No Motherly Instincts: Women Kills Her Your Own Child
2020
Kids Behind Bars: Housed With Adult Prisoners, Denied Fair Trials & Sentenced To Death (2020)
1h36m

Kids Behind Bars: Housed With Adult Prisoners, Denied Fair Trials & Sentenced To Death

2020•1h36m

Today, there are almost half a million children locked up around the world, many facing harsh conditions and denied fair trials.

Kids Behind Bars: Housed With Adult Prisoners, Denied Fair Trials & Sentenced To Death
2020
The Receptionist: Caridad Cerbito Morales (2025)
24m

The Receptionist: Caridad Cerbito Morales

2025•24m

In a rural pension house in the Philippines, 77-year-old Caridad Cerbito Morales navigates life as a widow while longing to reconnect with her estranged child.

The Receptionist: Caridad Cerbito Morales
2025
A Pregnant Trans Man Faced His Greatest Fear During Childbirth (2026)
41m

A Pregnant Trans Man Faced His Greatest Fear During Childbirth

2026•41m

A transgender father navigates the complexities of childbirth while confronting his greatest fears, alongside stories of unconventional relationships.

A Pregnant Trans Man Faced His Greatest Fear During Childbirth
2026
Can Violent Men Change? (2021)
1h20m

Can Violent Men Change?

2021•1h20m

Men in abusive relationships confront their violent behaviors, with one stating, "I've been doing this for the last 15 years," as they seek to change.

Can Violent Men Change?
2021
Dreams from the Outback (2019)
58m

Dreams from the Outback

2019•58m

Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley face cultural and social challenges as individuals like Gabriel, Peter, Felicity, and brothers Billy and Jordan navigate their identities.

Dreams from the Outback
2019

Explore Sunless Shadows

TrailerAwardsTopicsFAQ

Browse more like this

Starless Dreams (2017)
Worth seeking out
1h16m

Starless Dreams

2017•1h16m•★8.0

A group of young girls, including underage mothers, wait at a food counter in an Iranian correction and rehabilitation center patrolled by heavily-armed guards.

Starless Dreams
2017
A Thousand Girls Like Me (2018)
Worth a watch
1h20m

A Thousand Girls Like Me

2018•1h20m•★8.2

A 23-year-old Afghan woman forces her father to stand trial for years of sexual abuse, challenging the patriarchal norms of her society.

A Thousand Girls Like Me
2018
Seven Winters in Tehran (2023)
Worth an evening
1h37m

Seven Winters in Tehran

2023•1h37m•★7.8

Seven years in prison ended with a hanging for a female student who killed a rapist in self-defense amid pressures from the Iranian justice system.

Seven Winters in Tehran
2023
Girlhood (2003)
Worth a watch
1h22m

Girlhood

2003•1h22m•★6.6

Two female inmates at a Maryland juvenile detention center share their stories of violence and tragedy that led to their incarceration.

Girlhood
2003
Prostitution: Behind the Veil (2004)
Worth an evening
59m

Prostitution: Behind the Veil

2004•59m•★6.4

Two young women in Iran struggle to raise their children while supporting drug addictions through prostitution amid strict religious fundamentalism.

Prostitution: Behind the Veil
2004
No Burqas Behind Bars (2013)
Worth a watch
1h17m

No Burqas Behind Bars

2013•1h17m•★7.2

Forty women share four cells in Takhar Prison, Afghanistan, where they serve sentences for "moral crimes" such as fleeing abusive marriages.

No Burqas Behind Bars
2013
The Art of Living in Danger (2020)
1h25m

The Art of Living in Danger

2020•1h25m•★8.0

Mina Keshavarz reflects on her grandmother's death in Iran, revealing a family secret tied to domestic violence and the systemic issues facing women.

The Art of Living in Danger
2020
Runaway (2001)
1h27m

Runaway

2001•1h27m•★6.4

Five young girls arrive at a refuge in Tehran after escaping abusive families, each facing their own emotional struggles and uncertain futures.

Runaway
2001
Choosing Children (1984)
45m

Choosing Children

1984•45m•★4.0

Forty-five minutes of candid interviews reveal the challenges faced by lesbian and gay parents in the United States during the 1980s.

Choosing Children
1984
It's Always Late for Freedom (2007)
52m

It's Always Late for Freedom

2007•52m•★9.0

Three teenage boys in Tehran's House of Correction face addiction, poverty, and family issues, reflecting serious social problems in Iranian society.

It's Always Late for Freedom
2007
Destiny (2022)
1h11m

Destiny

2022•1h11m•★7.0

18-year-old Sahar takes on the responsibility of caring for her mentally disabled father in a remote Iranian village after her mother's death.

Destiny
2022
Black Rain in My Eyes (2024)
20m

Black Rain in My Eyes

2024•20m

Four blind daughters live in Syria while their father, a poet, tries to shield them from the realities of war as he prepares for a poetry forum.

Black Rain in My Eyes
2024

Browse more by Mehrdad Oskouei

View all films →
It's Always Late for Freedom (2007)

It's Always Late for Freedom

2007

The Other Side of Burka (2004)

The Other Side of Burka

2004

Starless Dreams (2017)
Worth seeking out

Starless Dreams

2017

Related Films

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →