Joyland
Many people have tried to define Joyland and failed. Like the title which simultaneously represents the tight- knit world of an amusement park, a family, and then the country— - we each have indefatigable, inadequate ways to describe this human drama to the unfamiliar. Director Saif Salem thus resists categorization with his movie. He explains that while it’s been labeled as a transgender movie to draw audiences, it’s much more than that. It’s about family and finding yourself. It is about patriarchy and the suffocating environment that it creates, not just for the women but the men who are stuck in societal expectations of duty and what they are allowed to want.
Most people remember the movie from the still of the cutout on the highway or the parting shot of the ocean. But to me when it stood out as truly authentic were the shots of Lahore itself, a reminder that places live and breathe and define who we are and what we do. For many Pakistanis in attendance the film brought them home and for me as well, seeing the similarities between this land and India I felt again the longing for South Asia. Malala, in response to Pakistan’s ban on the film, described this movie as a love letter to Pakistan and no description can be more apt than this.
The film is aesthetically pleasing beyond a doubt with the opening shot letting you know exactly the quality of what you are about to see while belying you with a sense of softness. And indeed, despite the many problems that mire this family that can only be described as taking a downward spiral, we see moments where they let go of the expectation of what they should do and find joy in the release.
The direction is at its best when it allows the characters to silently observe each other. When Haider first sees Biba there is an unstated emotional subtext to the scene that makes us wonder what draws him to her, especially when we come to know that he did not understand it either. I also really appreciated the scene where he first met Mumtaz. This memory of the life that was promised to her comes too late for Haider but, even if it is bittersweet, their conversation provides a lasting reminder of who she was— – bold, a bit rebellious, and ambitious— – rather than just the tragedy that befell her. But the real highlight for me was the dialogue which accurately captured the many different communities the characters inhabit— - the trans community, the dance troupe, the family’s neighborhood, and the salon workers.
Joyland finds the humor in the everyday, the bustle amidst the stillness, and the silent voices in a crowd.
Take for instance the shot of an extremely crowded train station where we can’t see the character we’re supposed to be following. Having spent so much time in similar train stations in India I felt at once how overwhelmed the character must have been as she tried to set off on her own here without a plan, someone to go with, or somewhere to go. Another thing I appreciate about Joyland is that it truly roots itself in the public experience of South Asia. For instance, it is hard to complete a panorama of anywhere in this region without a homage to at least one of the industries that define much of people’s lives— – music, dance, and cinema— – and Joyland does this and more. With “BIBA” by Farasat Anees, Slick Trick and Toshi we feel Haider’s coming into his own, that feeling of floating. To my surprise, I discovered that this was not in fact an original song made for the movie although it fit the scene perfectly. The singer cries, “My dear, I had faith in your love!” as we witness the crowd giving into the charms of our troupe as they find a way to perform against the odds. Haider is at once taking in this new acknowledgement of himself while giving himself over to the moment. When he says, “I’ve never had something of my own before,” he expresses in just a few words the trapped ambition of our characters as they live feeling stifled by expectations, as well as the pain of poverty which defines many decisions.
I would go amiss if I did not mention the benefits of watching this film at the International Film Festival hosted that day at CMU which was so wonderfully organized. The film was preceded by several dances in styles across India— – Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and Bollywood. These were mostly for the uninitiated but helped set the scene for a movie about South Asia and femininity. One of the great parts of watching a film at a festival is seeing it with people who have as much interest as you in the medium and hearing new voices and stories. And, of course, the post-screening conversation with the director and actors was incredible as well. They resisted forcing their own interpretation of the characters on us but were open to sharing how they understood them as they prepared for their roles. For me, a key insight from the discussion was when Ali Junejo said that the two relationships that most defined Haider were those of him with his father and him with Mumtaz. These were his deepest connections although they often saw two different sides of him. His father was someone he wanted to impress by pretending to be tough and in a “respectable” profession and his longing for his father’s approval gave him the chip on his shoulder that he carries lifelong. With Mumtaz, he is freer to be himself but has difficulty communicating with her, unlike the way she is open with him. Ultimately his withdrawal from the relationship leads in part to both of their downfalls. Junejo also mentions how the father too was a victim of toxic masculinity as we see when it prevents him from getting help from his female neighbor. Almost every character in this movie— – besides the elder brother whom we don’t see much of— – is multi-dimensional and flawed yet worth rooting for. And seeing women centered in a movie that we expect to be about a man right from the first character introduced to us was a pleasant reversal of expectations.
If you’re wondering when there will be another film like Joyland, you don’t have to wait long for an answer. One of the best responses of the night came when the director said unflinchingly, “We will not be making another movie like Joyland. That story has already been told. When we find a new story, that will be our next film.” [paraphrased] So take joy in the fact that there won’t be another Joyland. Because this is only the first of many stories to come from Pakistan, the first of a multitude of experiences to be shared.