Drama, Romance

JOYLAND

2023
2 HR, 6 min
MAY 12 → MAY 25, 2023

Details

Released April 7, 2023, Pakistan

Drama, Romance

2 hours, 6 minutes

Oscilloscope Laboratories

Urdu and Punjabi with English Subtitles

Starring

Ali Junejo
Rasti Farooq
Alina Khan
Sarwat Gilani
Salmaan Peerzada
Sania Saeed

Director

Saim Sadiq

Film Information

The debut feature from writer-director Saim Sadiq, JOYLAND explores the many sides of love and desire in a patriarchal society. Gentle and timid, Haider (Ali Junejo) lives with his wife Mumtaz (Rasti Farooq), his father, and his elder brother’s family in Lahore, Pakistan. Following a long spell of unemployment, Haider finally lands a job at a Bollywood-style burlesque, telling his family he is a theater manager, when in actuality, he is a backup dancer. The unusual position shakes up the steadfast traditional dynamics of his household and enables Haider to break out of his shell. As he acclimates to the new job, Haider becomes infatuated with the strong-willed trans woman Biba (Alina Khan) who runs the show—an unforeseen partnership that opens his eyes and ultimately his worldview, in ways both unexpected and intimate.

Film Stills

Full Cast

Ali Junejo

Rasti Farooq

Alina Khan

Sarwat Gilani

Salmaan Peerzada

Sania Saeed

Additional Credits

Saim Sadiq Director

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Reviews

“Joyland is such a delicate, intelligent and emotionally rich film. What a debut from Sadiq.”

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

“Sadiq is not lecturing us or trading in types; he is taking us by sensory surprise, and the tale that he tells is funny, forward, and sometimes woundingly sad.”

Anthony Lane

New Yorker

“The picture transcends the tragic romance narrative, to achieve something rather more complex and satisfying.”

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)