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Good film this. Saim Sadiq's debut follows a Pakistani man (Haider) in a rather sullen, arranged marriage who is looked down upon by the patriarch of the family for being weak and unemployed and not giving the family any children, especially male children. Haider is played superbly by Ali Junejo, and the performances are all noteworthy - particularly Rasti Farooq, who plays Haider's wife Mumtaz.
Haider looks for work and ends up being part of an erotic dance troupe at the town's theatre. There he meets a woman who he becomes infatuated with. The dance scenes are a little rough around the edges and the film has a slight tone that leans towards the awards season. But other than that it’s a very good drama which has tension, romance, comedy and tragedy and is centrally a film about unfulfilled desires in a strict regime of conformity.
The themes of family and cultural oppression / sexual taboo are strong enough to see this film still banned in it’s own country, so kudos to the film-makers for sticking their necks on the line. It’s also produced by Riz Ahmed and Gemima Kahn. Haider’s plight is explored and in the end we are left wondering a little of his future but the emotion is enough to make the film a very watchable 2 hours of story-telling. The cinematography of urban Punjab is also really well shot.
Solid drama – 7.6/10
'Joyland' (2023)
Directed by Saim Sadiq
Directed by Saim Sadiq
Good film this. Saim Sadiq's debut follows a Pakistani man (Haider) in a rather sullen, arranged marriage who is looked down upon by the patriarch of the family for being weak and unemployed and not giving the family any children, especially male children. Haider is played superbly by Ali Junejo, and the performances are all noteworthy - particularly Rasti Farooq, who plays Haider's wife Mumtaz.
Haider looks for work and ends up being part of an erotic dance troupe at the town's theatre. There he meets a woman who he becomes infatuated with. The dance scenes are a little rough around the edges and the film has a slight tone that leans towards the awards season. But other than that it’s a very good drama which has tension, romance, comedy and tragedy and is centrally a film about unfulfilled desires in a strict regime of conformity.
The themes of family and cultural oppression / sexual taboo are strong enough to see this film still banned in it’s own country, so kudos to the film-makers for sticking their necks on the line. It’s also produced by Riz Ahmed and Gemima Kahn. Haider’s plight is explored and in the end we are left wondering a little of his future but the emotion is enough to make the film a very watchable 2 hours of story-telling. The cinematography of urban Punjab is also really well shot.
Solid drama – 7.6/10