This largely assured debut feature by Pakistani director Saim Sadiq boldly tackles themes of patriarchy and transgender as a young, married man becomes smitten by a trans woman.

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One of the breakout award-winning hits from Cannes last year, Joyland is Pakistani director Saim Sadiq’s first feature, one where he explores themes that might not sit well with more conservative viewers.  In fact, the film was initially banned by Pakistan and later approved for domestic release with several cuts. 

Joyland, however, is made with the international festival audience in mind, such is its arthouse underpinnings as well as its somewhat deliberate pacing. 

Unlike its title, which refers to an amusement park which several characters visit in one segment, the film is nowhere close to being a cheerful romp. 

It opens with a traditional household as two married couples live together with their controlling father.  Haider, unemployed, is the youngest son whose working wife hasn’t given birth.  He finds a job as a backup dancer for a show performed by Biba, a trans woman, but slowly finds himself becoming smitten by her, neglecting his wife in the process. 

“I don’t come to the theatre to recite the Quran.”

There are two main aspects driving the plot—Haider’s secret relationship with Biba, which thematically drives the film’s empathetic call for queer acceptance, as well as Haider’s wife’s declining mental health, largely caused by a patriarchal household that reinforces gender roles. 

While one might praise Sadiq for being bold in telling stories that go against the grain of his country’s social fabric, or for his efficient killing of two birds with one stone as patriarchal and transgender themes conflate in a mildly heartfelt narrative, Joyland is not always compelling. 

Scenes of quietude sometimes run for a tad too long, and there exists a feeling that the film might have benefited from a more thoroughly conceived denouement, one where Haider could have ceased becoming a protagonist, and perhaps be free of the individual burden that has haunted him and his loved ones.  Still, this is an assured debut feature that mostly lives up to its buzz.     

Grade: B+

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Trailer: