Joyland: Storia di un amore queer

Sad that after recieving clearance for release by a special committee formed by PM Shehbaz Sharif, the film #Joyland gets banned by Punjab Government; And that politicians/ adults in Pakistan would be so petty and spiteful as to deny people their fundamental right to live.

The film that's giving the LGBTQ community in Pakistan a voice, has been banned yet again in Pakistan. Can't use personal religious belief to ignore morals that demand equality among all humans. Love is understanding.

Telling people what to do with their body has emerged as a social sickness of the 21st Century. People who cannot change, are telling people not to change. Future isn't something you passively wait for, but something you create yourself.

We have to start making sense as humans. That every human has the right to live is a moral, not a religious issue.

This movie is getting hate for no reason. It's a flawless family drama! The Acting is superb and the cinematography is mesmerizing. People claiming that the acting is bad, might be blind. The narrative is so interesting that the run time felt short to me. 2 hours passed by pretty quickly. This movie is made for proper movie watchers, not some casuals. Cinematic literacy is needed here. Don't go to it thinking that you'll get a cliche masala movie. Make sure you watch it If you enjoy good acting, cinematography and a well written narrative. I'd say it's the best Pakistani movie ever made. P. S i haven't seen maula Jutt yet.

The fact that I got to watch this in a Pakistani cinema feels really great.

Joyland is a movie told in moments and every scene still has me in a chokehold. I was sobbing by the end and for me, if a movie can move you to tears then its a great one!

It will also make you very uncomfortable and it should because what we see on the screen is a reality of every women and every trans person. This is our life on screen and its a mirror to our society.

The cast was stellar and I truly hope that Pakistanis continue to make movies that tells a real story. I am also so freaking proud that we didn't let the bigots win this time.

The prison you call home has let you go, exchanging places with your wife to earn some dough, leaves her trapped and isolated, while you become more animated, and discover what deep down, you've always known; as you fall for dancer Biba who you're supporting, on the stage but after hours you are cavorting, in a world that can be rigid, you find yourself no longer frigid, then you misjudge the whole vibe, with your contorting.

It's a wonderful and brave piece of cinema that breaks boundaries by some measure (and quite rightly so), as Haider falls for the elegant transgender Biba, and his wife Mumtaz pays the penalty for his indiscretions.

Wiping away sexual taboos in countries where the culture's tolerance for such things is, shall we say, somewhat "limited" can indeed be a slow, painful and difficult process. Such conditions are presented with remarkable candor on a number of fronts in this groundbreaking debut feature from Pakistani writer-director Saim Sadiq, who unflinchingly depicts the frustration that many are feeling in a nation yearning for greater social acceptance and personal freedom when it comes to alternate lifestyles. And this work is certainly commendable for the bold, courageous steps it has taken in this regard. However, these ideas are far from anything new in the world of cinema, and, as I watched this film, I couldn't help but think that the praise that has been heaped on it is somewhat hyped, primarily because of the venue in which the story is set. Don't get me wrong - this is a well-made picture, and I would imagine that the impact it has had on its country of origin is substantial, but I don't believe it's quite on par with the sweeping accolades that have been showered upon it. (Its victory at the Independent Spirit Awards for Best International Film, for example, was an overstatement in my book compared to some of the other nominees.) As a first feature for the filmmaker, it's a fine work that shows a great deal of promise for its creator, who clearly possesses an abundance of talent that I can't wait to see further developed. But there are elements of his craft that could use some further refinement to elevate him to the level of the big leagues (case in point, a conclusion that has been done several times before and almost comes across as trite here). "Joyland" certainly makes a powerful statement that needs to be said (and acted upon), and it does so in a highly capable way, but aspects of it could have been improved upon to make this a truly great film worthy of the honors that have been bestowed upon it.