Fearing the disapproval of his father, the youngest son in a traditional Pakistani family secretly takes a job as a backup dancer in a Bollywood-style erotic burlesque. The situation becomes even more complicated when he soon becomes infatuated with the strong-willed trans woman who runs the show. A riveting queer drama sensitively exploring the limiting nature of gender expectations and the corrosiveness of patriarchy. Jury Prize Winner at the Cannes Film Festival.

Reviews

‘Joyland’s quiet power comes not through melodrama, which Sadiq scrupulously avoids, but its deep affection for its characters. It’s a modern tale of changing gender roles and the patriarchal crisis that could just as easily have taken place in New York.’
★★★★
Kaleem Aftab, Time Out

‘The frame moves slowly, if at all, but it always brims with physical and emotional energy’
★★★★
Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire