A bold Pakistani drama

Joyland Urdu, Punjabi (Prime Video rentals)

Director: Saim Sadiq

Cast: Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, and Sarwat Gilani

Rating: 4/5

‘Joyland’, the debut feature film of Saim Sadiq is a poignant tale of a damaged family in the ever expanding urban landscape of Lahore. The head of the family, Rana Sahib, is unhappy that his two sons Salim and Haider are unable to give him a male heir.

The film opens to the elder daughter-in-law, Nucchi, delivering her fourth daughter; a sex determination test performed earlier had detected a male child. She is not upset at having become a baby-making machine for the family — she showcases altruistic characteristics.

On the other hand, Haider’s wife Mumtaz is a working woman with ambitions in a regressive family, while her husband is jobless and helps Nucchi manage the house. 

Soon, Haider lands a job at an erotic dance theatre. He is initially displeased by it but soon accepts it as he feels attracted to Biba, a trans starlet. Thus begins his journey of self discovery. Now that her husband has a job, Mumtaz is forced to stop working and takes up the role of a housewife. 

The unusual narrow (4:3) aspect ratio of the film, which looks like a compressed screen, is symbolic of repression, subjugation and ultimately suffocation in a patriarchal Pakistani family. Everyone in the family is forced to play a role according to the norms of a male-dominated society.

Haider’s character describes the plight of modern men stuck in a chauvinistic world. Going by the comments about Biba at the dance theatre, he fails to recognise her sexuality as a woman — how she wants to be recognised. 

Compelling performances and a lyrical narrative makes ‘Joyland’ a remarkable debut for the budding Pakistani filmmaker.

‘Joyland’ received critical acclaim from across the globe and was also the first Pakistani film to be selected at Cannes — also winning the Un Certain Regard: Jury Prize.