Saim Sadiq’s Joyland receives rave reviews from international film critics

Filmmaker Saim Sadiq has created a memorable moment in history as his feature film Joyland became the first Pakistani film to make the official selection at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. The filmmaker recently attended the fest with his team and Pakistanis are gushing praises about the extraordinary feat.

We are still eagerly waiting for the film to screen locally with hopes and prayers that it doesn’t get stuck in the rut of censorships and bans. However, Joyland has already won over hearts and souls at an international stage. The feature received a 10-minute-long standing ovation after its premiere on Monday at the Cannes Film Festival. The film has blown away the global audience and has been receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews since yesterday.

Videos from the evening are circulating on social media where Sadiq along with the cast of the movie proudly received a prolonged standing ovation from the audience after the feature ended. One of the clips also showed that the young filmmaker and his team members got teary-eyed while receiving felicitations.

Standing ovation for “Joyland”, directed by Saim Sadiq! #Joyland #Cannes2022 pic.twitter.com/bG3rQRdmxl

— Rose Harlean (@RoseHarlean) May 23, 2022

Following the screening, one of the producers of the film, Sarmad Khoosat took to Instagram to praise the filmmaker and wrote: “I could be biased (sure, accuse me) but with whatever authority I have, I hereby declare that there’s NO better filmmaker and storyteller than my puttar Saim Sadiq.”

“I bawled and cried my heart out with joy and all the pride at the world premiere. Thankfully there are no photos of me right after the screening,” he added.

Soon after the videos of the premiere went viral on Twitter, reviews started pouring in filled with heavy praises. The film has received rave reviews from renowned film critics from all over the world.

Anupama Chopra

Indian film critic Anupama Chopra, founder and editor of Film Companion, tweeted: “Joyland, the first Pakistani feature film at Festival de Cannes, is a dazzling, defiant heartbreaker about desire.” She also interviewed Saim Sadiq.

#Joyland, the first Pakistani feature film at @Festival_Cannes, is a dazzling, defiant heartbreaker about desire. My chat with writer-director Saim Sadiq. https://t.co/3QQHAfhMYB #Cannes2022

— Anupama Chopra (@anupamachopra) May 24, 2022

“Joyland is a keener, deeper and contrary to the name, more tragic exploration of femininity, masculinity, freedom and repression,” she wrote in her review. You can read the review in detail here.

Namrata Joshi

Indian film critic Namrata Joshi also tweeted praises for the film and said that it reminder her of Vicky Kaushal-starrer Masaan, which premiered at the festival in 2015.

“Standing ovation for debuts can be so damn overwhelming … Joyland is a tender heartbreaker of a film. Reminding me of our own Masaan back in 2015.”

Standing ovation for debuts can be so damn overwhelming … #joyland is a tender heartbreaker of a film … Reminding me of our own #Masaan back in 2015 … pic.twitter.com/LT1ILJzspo

— Namrata Joshi (@Namrata_Joshi) May 23, 2022

Our neighbour makes its debut ⁦@Festival_Cannes⁩… Saim Sadiq’s #joyland #UnCertainRegard pic.twitter.com/e9UadU85NY

— Namrata Joshi (@Namrata_Joshi) May 23, 2022

Tom Page

Writer at CNN, Tom Page tweeted: “JOYLAND — The first Pakistani film in the Cannes Official Selection is going to make waves. A film about loneliness, desire and self-denial, Sadiq’s handsome, graceful critique of patriarchy forgoes anger, opting for a gentler register, without sacrificing any of its power.”

JOYLAND — The first Pakistani film in the #Cannes Official Selection is going to make waves. A film about loneliness, desire and self-denial, Sadiq’s handsome, graceful critique of patriarchy forgoes anger, opting for a gentler register, without sacrificing any of its power.

— Tom Page (@thomas_page) May 23, 2022

Read: Pakistani Cannes selection Joyland picked up by European distribution firm

IndieWire

Siddhant Adlakha stated in his review for IndieWire: “

The first Pakistani film to premiere at Cannes, Saim Sadiq’s Un Certain Regard selection Joyland rides a fine line between sweet and foreboding right from its opening shot, in which an unseen adult man waltzes mischievously with his nieces while shrouded in a bedsheet. His life, and his liveliness, are carefully concealed; he exists as if between the worlds of the living and the dead.”

Deadline

Anna Smith wrote a review for Deadline.

“Joyland has a vivid sense of place, created not so much by its geographical backdrop as its characters. There’s an attention to detail in the rituals of daily life, whether it’s family celebrations or the rehearsals of the dance group. Mostly restrained emotionally, this packs an unexpected gut punch towards the end of the film, where it shifts focus to a deserving subject and drops another key character.”

The Hollywood Reporter

Lovia Gyarkye wrote a review for The Hollywood Reporter.

Joyland is a family saga, one that Sadiq uses to observe how gender norms constrict, and then asphyxiate, individuals. The Ranas feel trapped — by respectability, by family, by vague notions of honor. Bound by their duty to roles they quietly question, the members of this clan slowly suffer under the weight of obligation and expectations. What happens to them — individually and collectively — is a process that Sadiq’s film chronicles with aching consideration.

Screen Daily

Allan Hunter’s review for Screen Daily stated:

“Transgression becomes a means of liberation in Joyland, writer-director Saim Sadiq’s assured first feature which explores the tensions within a Pakistani family enslaved by old-fashioned notions of gender and duty. Sadiq’s screenplay navigates a complex web of secrets and lies, pressures and prejudices to create a soulful human drama intent on challenging narrow minds. Said to be the first Pakistani film to play at Cannes, Joyland should make an emotional connection with audiences on the Croisette and far beyond.”

With a duration of 2 hours 7 minutes, Joyland is a feature film in Urdu. Starring Ali Junejo, Alina Khan, Rasti Farooq, Sarwat Gilani, Sohail Sameer, Salman Peerzada and Sania Saeed, the film is directed by Saim Sadiq, who is also the screen-writer. Apoorva Charan, Sarmad Khoosat and Lauren Mann are the producers of the film. Abdullah Siddiqui has composed the music.

The showbiz fraternity also took to social media to laud the team to bring such an honour to the country. They also expressed that they cannot wait to watch the film. It is pertinent to mention that Sadiq’s Joyland celebrates the ‘transgender culture’ of the country, which is a taboo subject and is hardly touched upon in our TV or film content.

Joyland is the “tale of the sexual revolution that sees a patriarchal family yearn for the birth of a baby boy to continue the family line, while their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance theater and falls for an ambitious transsexual starlet.”