'Joyland', Pakistan's official entry to the Oscars has been making waves as a 'bold,' 'barrier-breaking,' 'trans-romance.' But upon viewing I found it to be ALL of that + MORE than that. 'Joyland' works because it doesn't try to ride on the coattails of its trans character (Biba,) neither does it sermonise. It merely invites us to observe a web of relationships across an intergenerational Lahore family where everyone seems to be struggling to live up to the expectations that gender, society, age & family roles impose on them. Because it is so evenhanded in its storytelling and truthful in its observations it succeeds in winning audience hearts and our consent. I discuss how Alina Khan and Ali Junejo occupy the screens with their bodies and their silences, the Pakistani flavour of Joyland, and the strengths of the film. I also talk about a tradition of Bollywood film heroes that question ' traditional masculine ideals' on screen and discuss how the film succeeeds in transposing its audiences into the heads of its characters throughout its running time. Spoiler-free monologue.
'Joyland', Pakistan's official entry to the Oscars has been making waves as a 'bold,' 'barrier-breaking,' 'trans-romance.' But upon viewing I found it to be ALL of that + MORE than that. 'Joyland' works because it doesn't try to ride on the coattails of its trans character (Biba,) neither does it sermonise. It merely invites us to observe a web of relationships across an intergenerational Lahore family where everyone seems to be struggling to live up to the expectations that gender, society, age & family roles impose on them. Because it is so evenhanded in its storytelling and truthful in its observations it succeeds in winning audience hearts and our consent. I discuss how Alina Khan and Ali Junejo occupy the screens with their bodies and their silences, the Pakistani flavour of Joyland, and the strengths of the film. I also talk about a tradition of Bollywood film heroes that question ' traditional masculine ideals' on screen and discuss how the film succeeeds in transposing its audiences into the heads of its characters throughout its running time. Spoiler-free monologue.