Joyland by Saim Sadiq

Watched at the Wisconsin Film Festival:

In the simplest of terms, the film is about what it means to be a man or a woman in Pakistan. It is the structures developed that force people into corners despite their actual anthropological wants and interests. While the queer relationship at the center of much of the controversy surrounding the film does not serve as the catalyst for what it argues, the uproar in the real world only further shows why Joyland holds such relevance and importance in 2023. 

The holding of preconceived expectations of the way things must be, stretched across a society, place people (all of whom are different) into two choices of molds regarding “How to Be”. Your choice is either a Pakistani man or a Pakistani woman. The beauty (and shock) is that Biba is bold enough to make the choice that wasn’t assigned to her at birth. Any frustration regarding peoples rejection of either of these two molds only creates a cyclone of others frustration. (1) If you say the person must fit a mold, (2) and they feel like that simply do not, especially within a society that places an insistence, (3)the result is swathes of people questioning their sense of self. Of course many turn to despair rather than self-knowledge, the pressure of honoring a family, a country, and God can be great. 

Based on a person’s sex, a bevy of additional titles are clothes-pinned to them. The man is to be the bread-winner, an exemplification of stability with a job that depicts a high social status while economically providing for a family. The man is to be mentally tough, ready to spill blood and handle the unpleasant work for the sake of everyone else. The man is to be sexually energetic, yet completely distant from the lure of lust. 

The woman is to be not only regularly bearing children, but must be delighted and eager to provide, especially grandchildren to the elders patiently waiting. The woman must remain near the nucleus of the home, as progress within society does not supersede the duty to raising children and fulfilling domestic needs. The woman is to be sexually uncurious and passion in general is to be dormant for the sake of modesty. 

Haider and Mumtaz each fit the titles usually labeled with the other sex. It is the film that masterfully depicts the adverse qualities each one holds, slowly uncoiling to show that when the husband and wife begin to switch roles and follow the societal expectation, all can become lost. 

Credit to Joyland for being not only a thoughtful commentary on gender roles, but a moving and entertaining film experience. Films like this remind me why I love film.

Watched with Ayush Kumar.