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Here's what the international press has to say about Pakistani film Joyland

Here's what the international press has to say about Pakistani film Joyland

The movie is the first Pakistani film to be screened at Cannes.
24 May, 2022

Saim Sadiq’s Joyland, the first Pakistani film to be screened at Cannes, is riding a success high. The selection alone was enough of an achievement but the movie worked its magic and received a standing ovation at the premiere. And the international media has great things to say about it.

Described as a "daring" film, Joyland was picked for the Un Certain Regard category at the film festival. It is the story of an effeminate married man who falls for a transgender woman, which raises the tension between the conventional image his family wants him to fall into and the freedom he discovers to live a life of his choosing.

The movie has gained positive reviews by international publications. Here are some excerpts from those reviews.

Cannes Review: Saim Sadiq’s JoylandDeadline

"Joyland has a vivid sense of place, created not so much by its geographical backdrop as its characters. There’s an attention to detail in the rituals of daily life, whether it’s family celebrations or the rehearsals of the dance group. Mostly restrained emotionally, this packs an unexpected gut punch towards the end of the film, where it shifts focus to a deserving subject and drops another key character.

Presumably that’s meant to reflect the perspective of the protagonist, though it does leave some stories up in the air. But Joyland remains a thoughtful, well performed and engrossing drama set in a culture that’s shifting, and not always with ease."

To read more, click here.

Joyland: Film Review | Cannes 2022 — The Hollywood Reporter

"Joyland is a family saga, one that Sadiq uses to observe how gender norms constrict, and then asphyxiate, individuals. The Ranas feel trapped — by respectability, by family, by vague notions of honour. Bound by their duty to roles they quietly question, the members of this clan slowly suffer under the weight of obligation and expectations. What happens to them — individually and collectively — is a process that Sadiq’s film chronicles with aching consideration.

As Joyland heads toward its end, the film grows increasingly moving. Secrets and their attendant lies collapse under pressure. The weight of what’s left unsaid strangles interactions. The Ranas can no longer afford to be delusional — their survival depends on it."

To read more, click here.

Joyland Review: A daring queer Pakistani drama about desire — The Indie Wire

"The film’s 4:3 aspect ratio forces them into each other’s orbits in carefully composed tableus, and forces them to exist not just as individuals — whose joys and suppressed sorrows define them in equal measure — but as parts of a larger, fragile social fabric that feels like it could snap at any moment.

The frame moves slowly, if at all, but it always brims with physical and emotional energy; in Joyland, there’s always something in the ether, whether embodied by dazzling displays of light as characters move across stages and club floors, or by breathtaking silences as they begin to figure each other out, and figure out themselves."

To read more, click here.

Joyland: Cannes Review — Screen Daily

"Transgression becomes a means of liberation in Joyland, writer-director Sadiq’s assured first feature which explores the tensions within a Pakistani family enslaved by old-fashioned notions of gender and duty. Sadiq’s screenplay navigates a complex web of secrets and lies, pressures and prejudices to create a soulful human drama intent on challenging narrow minds. Said to be the first Pakistani film to play at Cannes, Joyland should make an emotional connection with audiences on the Croisette and far beyond."

To read more, click here.

Comments

Zak May 24, 2022 04:19pm
What a topic to be given recognition by west. All alien to our culture.
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Omar May 24, 2022 06:11pm
@Zak Based on your response, I'd say you know little about our culture. Our culture is the epitomy of obsession with log kia kahenge and the need to project a certain image. Our culture has also embraced transgenderism for thousands of years, unfortunately mostly by fetishizing them. This movie, made by Pakistanis, clearly describes our culture, although with an openness that is sadly alien to our culture.
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vin May 24, 2022 06:18pm
@Zak This is a Pakistani movie and as Pakistani you should be supporting it.
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Simba May 24, 2022 06:51pm
Self promotion isn't going to cut it.
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Aiza May 24, 2022 07:15pm
@Zak with all due respect this topic was part of your culture before it ever became a part of western culture.
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A shah May 24, 2022 08:10pm
This is how Pakistan is viewed by the world
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Douglas May 24, 2022 08:38pm
@vin only Turkey films are welcome
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Munir Faswala May 24, 2022 09:23pm
Well let's hope for the best, have a good understanding of the problems in society.
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Not Zak May 24, 2022 09:39pm
Zak is the epitome of Imran Khan’s narrow mentality and fake nationalism and divisive supremacy ideas !!
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Iqbal May 24, 2022 09:54pm
Cannes can be very harsh with boos and walkouts. So bravo and applause to the makers for getting a standing ovation! That's amazing!
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Art May 24, 2022 09:55pm
@vin He is a shameless Indian posing as Pakistani!
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Simba May 24, 2022 10:18pm
An insignificant film. Don't need to gild the lilly.
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Dhinchak May 24, 2022 11:22pm
Disgusting movie, And it is Pakistan's movie at Cannes. Third world.
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SecondPilot May 25, 2022 12:02am
Zak's response is perfectly in line with the know-nothing self-appointed cultural Taliban in both Pakistan and India.
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Atif May 25, 2022 12:15am
@Omar A man 'falling' for a transgender is Neither our culture nor our religion. Shame on you and this newspaper for portraying this movie as an achievement!!!
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Right May 25, 2022 01:15am
@Zak you still have a backward thinking mentality after so many years. When r u gonna improve your thought process?
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Anand Yesu May 25, 2022 01:21am
Aren't Pakistanis fans of the KGF franchise?
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zaf May 25, 2022 01:46am
@Zak how incredibly out of touch with reality do u have to be to say that lmao
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Syed Ahmed May 25, 2022 03:15am
@vin believe just watch movies for entertainment an wait for new movie do agreed with zak some way some how were i am settled for last 32 year's
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Raheel May 25, 2022 03:15am
West loves such topics
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Glen D'Abreo May 25, 2022 03:16am
@Omar bro you said what all of us are thinking, this demand of what can be accepted and what is alien to Pakistani culture is a fable. Lets all bow our heads that this film proves we have unbelievable talent in Pakistan who dare make films that shock and awe the world. Congratulations to all who made this possible, life is not a bowl of biscuits, there are crumbs in the dish also!
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AJ May 25, 2022 07:04am
Is Pakistanis live in the eyes of others. That is what makes us happy and sad….
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Mani May 25, 2022 07:53am
The French always promote infidelity, promiscuity, irreligiousness and any and everything that aids in undermining traditional wholesome family values. So good job team Joyland.
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Zargey May 25, 2022 08:17am
Gender dysphoria, gender neutral and the right to choose once’s gender by reassignment at a very young age are hot topics in North America and coming it from a country like Pakistan , this movie will get lots of attention and praises for reasons obvious .
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Parvez Iqbal May 25, 2022 10:56am
@Zak are you living in isolation? Don't you see transgenders, the most oppressed segment of our society second only to brick kiln workers, everywhere, everyday? And alien to our culture? LGBQT is not a culture; it is part of human DNA and is found all over the world. Open your eyes. Maybe you'll understand why this first Pakistani film at Cannes is being praised.
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Hammad Qureshi May 25, 2022 01:33pm
Our culture is much more than what we choose to believe it is. Let's embrace all of it and all the pakistanis. That would be the best way forward.
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Sabah Shahid May 25, 2022 03:26pm
If this movie wasn't about a queer person I doubt the foreign media would have showered it with praises like it did. Films should be praised for their quality not just because they support the LGBTQ movement .
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Rehana Bounse May 25, 2022 07:45pm
@Zak it is part of our culture even if you don’t acknowledge it
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Adiba May 28, 2022 10:28pm
Transgenders have always had high place in muslim culture. They were particularly placed in palaces in the "zanana". Where does our religion say transgender should not marry or have someone love them?
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Adiba May 28, 2022 10:30pm
This movie doesn't appear to be about genders per se but more about our culture's need to conform according to society even at the cost of extreme personal unhappiness.
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Hanna May 29, 2022 02:26am
@Zak how is it alien when it's literally a story that takes place in Pak and involves Pakistanis and their lives,it won't actually seem alien if you don't see it with your myopic lense of prejudice instead view it with tolerance and with the intention to learn something about your fellow Pakistanis who maybe a little different from you because not all Pakistanis live the same lives
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Hanna May 29, 2022 02:32am
@Simba learn to read,it's all reviews by international press so how is it self publicity and why are you triggered by it receiving good reviews?
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Hanna May 29, 2022 02:39am
@Atif looks like you know nothing about culture or religion,there are alot of men who approach and Fall for transgender women and there is nothing in religion against transgenders,most transgenders in Pak are Muslims,the only problem is your ignorance about trans people propagated by hate mongering mullahs
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Hanna May 29, 2022 02:44am
@Sabah Shahid the quality was clearly good but you only dislike it because it represents a marginalized section of the country because you like to pretend that they don't exist and their rights don't matter the same as yours,plz get rid of this superiority complex and prejudice
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