X
- 2023
- Oscilloscope
- 2 h 6 m
- 2023
- Oscilloscope
- 2 h 6 m
Summary 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 unusu...
Directed By: Saim Sadiq
Written By: Maggie Briggs
- 2023
- Oscilloscope
- 2 h 6 m
- 2023
- Oscilloscope
- 2 h 6 m
Joyland
6.9
Where to Watch
Summary 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 unusu...
Directed By: Saim Sadiq
Written By: Maggie Briggs
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
82
95% Positive
21 Reviews
21 Reviews
5% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 22 Critic Reviews
82
95% Positive
21 Reviews
21 Reviews
5% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
It’s revolutionary due to Sadiq’s care and close attention to detail with all of his characters. It’s a love letter to a place and people he knows intimately, and I hope to see much more of his work soon.
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.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 16 User Ratings
6.9
75% Positive
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
25% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 16 User Ratings
6.9
75% Positive
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
25% Negative
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
Step into the enchanting world of 'Joyland,' a cinematic masterpiece directed by the talented debutant Saim Sadiq. This 2022 Pakistani film has earned accolades at prestigious international film festivals such as Cannes and the Toronto International Film Festival, capturing hearts and minds with its profound **** against a backdrop of human relations, love, affection, and desire, 'Joyland' delicately explores the intricacies of life. What sets it apart is its ability to seamlessly integrate these complex themes without imposing, creating a harmonious and beautiful cinematic **** casting is nothing short of extraordinary; each actor seamlessly embodies their character, leaving you feeling as though no other option could have been as perfect. The film not only tells a compelling story but immerses you in a world where every emotion is felt **** lovers of cinema, 'Joyland' is an absolute must-watch. Missing out would be a great loss. Don't let this cinematic gem slip through the cracks.
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Joyland is impressive, with an emotional world that feels true, and characters who feel complex and alive.
A storming debut from writer-director Saim Sadiq: emotional, tender, and quietly radical. With any luck, it will herald a new era for Pakistani cinema.
Tartly funny and plungingly sad in equal measure, this is nuanced, humane queer filmmaking, more concerned with the textures and particulars of its own intimate story than with grander social statements — even if, as a tale of transgender desire in a Muslim country, its very premise makes it a boundary-breaker.
A beautifully intimate yet open-ended interrogation of the spaces its characters are forced to navigate, Sadiq’s intricate debut is a haunting elegy that mourns the deadly suffocation of desire, elegantly tracing how the liberation of men, women, cis, and trans people is always entangled.
Another example of a tasteful but passionless festival film, Saim Sadiq’s feature debut Joyland errs on the side of arch family drama when its most interesting aspects remain almost in the periphery, promising a much better film.
Wiping away sexual taboos in countries where the culture’s tolerance for such things is, shall we say, somewhat “limited” can indeed be a slow, painful and difficult process. Such conditions are presented with remarkable candor on a number of fronts in this groundbreaking debut feature from Pakistani writer-director Saim Sadiq, who unflinchingly depicts the frustration that many are feeling in a nation yearning for greater social acceptance and personal freedom when it comes to alternate lifestyles. And this work is certainly commendable for the bold, courageous steps it has taken in this regard. However, these ideas are far from anything new in the world of cinema, and, as I watched this film, I couldn’t help but think that the praise that has been heaped on it is somewhat hyped, primarily because of the venue in which the story is set. Don’t get me wrong – this is a well-made picture, and I would imagine that the impact it has had on its country of origin is substantial, but I don’t believe it’s quite on par with the sweeping accolades that have been showered upon it. (Its victory at the Independent Spirit Awards for Best International Film, for example, was an overstatement in my book compared to some of the other nominees.) As a first feature for the filmmaker, it’s a fine work that shows a great deal of promise for its creator, who clearly possesses an abundance of talent that I can’t wait to see further developed. But there are elements of his craft that could use some further refinement to elevate him to the level of the big leagues (case in point, a conclusion that has been done several times before and almost comes across as trite here). “Joyland” certainly makes a powerful statement that needs to be said (and acted upon), and it does so in a highly capable way, but aspects of it could have been improved upon to make this a truly great film worthy of the honors that have been bestowed upon it.
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Awards
Cannes Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 4 Nominations
Palm Springs International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
London Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
