Joyland

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 JOYLAND [2022]

Starring: Alina Khan, Ali Junejo, Rasti Farooq, Sarwat Gilani

Direction & Screenplay by Saim Sadiq

Language: Urdu / Punjabi



It has been a long while since a Pakistani film has even reached a foreign audience, but here we are with a film that has been nominated for an Oscar! Although it is in a lot of ways an exceptional film, there was one key factor that dictated my viewing experience: censorship. I watched the film in Pakistan, in one of the only provinces that allowed the movie to be screened in theatres. There were very obvious cuts (I later found out that over twenty minutes of the film had been cut in the censored version). This censorship is a huge problem! It is incredibly disheartening to see that a movie that has been produced in Pakistan cannot even be viewed properly in its home! The censorship completely interrupted the narrative of the film, to the point where I just could not understand some of the film’s progression. The movie was full of sexually suggestive scenes which were all imperative for the film to actually make sense. Without some of these scenes, the main character, Haider, does not have a complete character development, and thus it is sometimes difficult to relate to or even comprehend his anguish between balancing two relationships. If a movie is truly good, which the original version of Joyland is, it evokes a reaction in people, even if it is discomfort. An intervention with this fundamental part of the film is disappointing. The film leaves a lot of interpretation to the audience, and the views of those watching the censored version in Pakistan can therefore be quite skewed. 


That being said, the acting was exceptional across the board. Even if the story was significantly altered, the acting was that good that it negated some of the flaws of the film. 


I hope to one day see the version which is fully uncensored when it becomes available, as that is the version that has been shortlisted (and will hopefully win) the Oscars! I must admit, I have a slight bias when it comes to Joyland, as it is exciting for me to be able to watch a movie in my own language, set in places where people share similar cultural norms.


Overall, I would say that this is a 5/10, because although the film is seen to be excellent, the censored version ruined the experience for me. Hopefully, I will be able to see the full uncensored version the critics at the Academy Awards will see one day. 

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