Summarised: A traditional Muslim Pakistani family’s world is turned upside down when the youngest of the men falls in love with a transgender dancer. Bomba. Rass. Clart.
Firstly, I had never seen a Pakistani movie and to be honest probably wouldn’t have, had I not questioned my ignorance after I watched RRR and Tumbadd, two very good South Asian movies albeit from India. From the very first scene this movie kept me glued to the adequately sized BFI NFT1 screen until the very last. The city of Lahore backdrop, the dancing, the comedy, the acting, the joy, the sorrow, the shock, the betrayal, the love, the conflict. It seems almost cliche to say this had everything, but for me this movie ticked every single box for a drama movie. The directing as well as the writing was fantastic. Fan. Tas. Tic. It really kept you engrossed in the (probably way more common than one would actually think) storyline. The acting was on point, I think at times western movie reviews struggle to understand cultural differences, I’ve seen it a lot in when I read reviews for Korean shows or movies, they don’t understand or aren’t familiar with how traditional Koreans behave, so for them the acting may seem forced or unauthentic, when in reality that’s exactly how they would behave in that scenario. So, for me, I take that into consideration, and considering this was written and directed by someone born and raised in Lahore, I’m going to assume I was shown a glimpse of traditional culture. Which, personally, more often than not, I found fascinating. Down to even minor nuances such as how they sit for meals eating with their hands to more noticeable differences: a heavy patriarchal family set up, the pressure to have sons, the disappointment of only having girls…. there were lots on show that made me feel the burden that both men and women growing up on that side of the world could endure. It also made me appreciate some of the things in life that we would probably take for granted as well as questioning if I should place less value on some of the material items I feel I would struggle to live without, when in reality, I may fair better off.
Anyway, I digress back to the masterpiece that is Joyland. After a bit of research, I found out that it was only in 2018 that Pakistan passed the “Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act” which basically made discrimination towards them illegal and also allowed them to choose their own gender and record it on official documents. Homosexuality is still illegal in Pakistan and however if you are to find gay people in the open its most likely to be in Lahore, where a quick google of Wikipedia states the “crime” is largely unforced. So, it made even more sense to why this movie is set where it is.
Another superb inclusion in Joyland is that we got to see the insight of Biba, the transgender love interest. She was fierce, did not mince her words and was not afraid to stand her ground which was shown in full view, in what I deem probably one of the best scenes in the movie where she walks into a room and overhears multiple people making jokes about her. I won’t ruin it for you but let’s just say, I doubt there will be any more public jokes about Biba.
In conclusion, this is another one of those movies that confirm, starting Watch It Or Not TV was the right decision. It is truly an exceptional film and when I do my Top 10 films of 2022, I would bet my left nutsacka that Joyland will be right up there.
It’s a Watch It from me.
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