Originally censored in Pakistan, «Joyland» is a moving drama about the status of women in a Muslim society that allows them a few freedoms that they do not have in similar places where extreme sexist laws created by men are credited to Allah. It was banned because of the transgender character of Biba who has a lot of screen time and, according to the Ministry of Information and Communication argued, violates Pakistani standards of "decency and morality". However, the moralists focused their eyes on the flashiest aspects of the movie, and ignored its more dramatic content, which subtly emphasizes the condition of the women in the film.
«Joyland» tells the story of a family unit, dominated by the patriarchal figure of the grandfather. Together with him live his two sons, their wives, and children. Saleem, the older, is employed and Nucchi is a housewife, while young Haider (Junejo) is unemployed, and his wife Mumtaz (Farooq) has a job. Following an imposition by the patriarch, Mumtaz is forced to resign, and Haider gets a job at a lubricious theater with variety shows for men, as part of the dance troupe of transgender Biba (Khan), who stages musical numbers that emphasize female eroticism.
Haider is not a prototype of a Pakistani macho, but a vulnerable and sensitive man, who ends up involved with Biba, although the film never defines the limits of their intimacy. At the same time, Haider neglects his relationship with Mumtaz, who is not only pregnant, but is now reacting to other men she finds attractive. The drama that follows is the heart of the story, where the figure of Mumtaz is key.
The edition sometimes makes use of dramatic sensationalism, by contrasting Biba's showbiz life with Mumtaz's domestic routine, such as Haider's intimate moments with one or the other, or the cut from a lively wedding of a secondary transgender character, to the two wives hanging clothes on the roof of the building where they live. However, in a global sense, «Joyland» is a film that shows lives with few choices or alternatives in a sector of the world that, like many others, is subject to religious fundamentalism.
«Joyland» tells the story of a family unit, dominated by the patriarchal figure of the grandfather. Together with him live his two sons, their wives, and children. Saleem, the older, is employed and Nucchi is a housewife, while young Haider (Junejo) is unemployed, and his wife Mumtaz (Farooq) has a job. Following an imposition by the patriarch, Mumtaz is forced to resign, and Haider gets a job at a lubricious theater with variety shows for men, as part of the dance troupe of transgender Biba (Khan), who stages musical numbers that emphasize female eroticism.
Haider is not a prototype of a Pakistani macho, but a vulnerable and sensitive man, who ends up involved with Biba, although the film never defines the limits of their intimacy. At the same time, Haider neglects his relationship with Mumtaz, who is not only pregnant, but is now reacting to other men she finds attractive. The drama that follows is the heart of the story, where the figure of Mumtaz is key.
The edition sometimes makes use of dramatic sensationalism, by contrasting Biba's showbiz life with Mumtaz's domestic routine, such as Haider's intimate moments with one or the other, or the cut from a lively wedding of a secondary transgender character, to the two wives hanging clothes on the roof of the building where they live. However, in a global sense, «Joyland» is a film that shows lives with few choices or alternatives in a sector of the world that, like many others, is subject to religious fundamentalism.