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Joyland

  • 2022
  • 2h 6m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
7.7K
YOUR RATING
Rasti Farooq, Alina Khan, and Ali Junejo in Joyland (2022)
As the happily patriarchal Rana family craves for the birth of a baby boy, the youngest of the Rana men secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and finds himself falling for a fiercely ambitious trans starlet. Their impossible love story slowly illuminates the entire Rana family's desire for a sexual rebellion.
Play trailer1:53
2 Videos
74 Photos
Coming-of-AgeQuirky ComedyComedyCrimeDrama

The youngest son in a traditional Pakistani family takes a job as a backup dancer in a Bollywood-style burlesque and quickly becomes infatuated with the strong-willed trans woman who runs th... Read allThe youngest son in a traditional Pakistani family takes a job as a backup dancer in a Bollywood-style burlesque and quickly becomes infatuated with the strong-willed trans woman who runs the show.The youngest son in a traditional Pakistani family takes a job as a backup dancer in a Bollywood-style burlesque and quickly becomes infatuated with the strong-willed trans woman who runs the show.

  • Director
    • Saim Sadiq
  • Writers
    • Saim Sadiq
    • Maggie Briggs
  • Stars
    • Ali Junejo
    • Rasti Farooq
    • Alina Khan
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    7.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Saim Sadiq
    • Writers
      • Saim Sadiq
      • Maggie Briggs
    • Stars
      • Ali Junejo
      • Rasti Farooq
      • Alina Khan
    • 50User reviews
    • 81Critic reviews
    • 82Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 19 wins & 19 nominations total

    Videos2

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:53
    Official Trailer
    JOYLAND - Official U.S. Trailer HD
    Trailer 1:53
    JOYLAND - Official U.S. Trailer HD
    JOYLAND - Official U.S. Trailer HD
    Trailer 1:53
    JOYLAND - Official U.S. Trailer HD

    Photos73

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    Top cast33

    Edit
    Ali Junejo
    Ali Junejo
    • Haider
    Rasti Farooq
    Rasti Farooq
    • Mumtaz
    Alina Khan
    Alina Khan
    • Biba
    Sarwat Gilani
    Sarwat Gilani
    • Nucchi
    Salmaan Peerzada
    Salmaan Peerzada
    • Father Aman
    Sohail Sameer
    • Saleem
    Sania Saeed
    Sania Saeed
    • Fayyaz
    Ramiz Law
    • Qaiser
    Honey Albela
    • Ashfaq Saab
    Priya Usman Khan
    • Shagnam Rani
    Muzammil Khan
    • Bobby
    Honey
    • Honey
    Shahbaz Rafiq
    • Nenson
    Iftikhar India
    • India
    Umar Fiaz
    • Tipu
    Pakeeza Batool
    • Maeedah
    Eeshal Ali
    • Madiha
    Shiza Moin
    • Momina
    • Director
      • Saim Sadiq
    • Writers
      • Saim Sadiq
      • Maggie Briggs
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews50

    7.67.6K
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    Featured reviews

    9talharaheel90

    Excellent Drama! Bad acting ?? Really?

    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.
    10afsheenmq

    Joyland is a pertinent reflection of historically underrepresented voices in society.

    Joyland is a pertinent reflection of historically underrepresented voices in society. It is relatable to anyone who feels excluded from social opportunities or feels unheard and unseen, or simply feel as if they do not belong....

    Joyland juggles heavy subject matters with such integrity. In the 126 minutes the characters offend as readily as they amuse the audience with the reality of not pursuing their dream or desires and settling for something they don't want.

    The cinematography and visuals are mesmerising, and absolutely brilliant acting by all actors.

    Do not miss this MASTERPIECE......
    10shehzeenmuzaffar

    Fantastic!

    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.
    10whereisfaraz

    Best film to come out of Pakistani industry in years

    I guess people have forgotten the difference between the meanings of "promotion" and "depiction". For those who really don't know what these words mean: promotion means to encourage, to support something. And depiction means to show something, to make people aware of something by showing it to them.

    Now, Joyland, nowhere in its 126 minutes run supports or encourages or "promotes" homosexuality or anything that is anti-Islamic. In fact, this isn't even the only theme of the film. It covers pretty much every aspect of the domestic life of a lower middle-class Pakistani man and a woman (I didn't mention transgender person because those poor things have only one class of lifestyle). It shows every harsh reality of our society. It shows all the plagues our country is being devoured by, those which aren't remotely related to Islam but have become a part of our tradition despite being highly toxic. These are the stigmas that we suffer from in our lives but no one wants to get rid of them because they have been here for so long that they have become normal. And a life without them would be abnormal or even disgraceful and shameful according to our "elders".

    The film does show the homosexuality that exists in our country. It doesn't tell whether its good or bad, it just shows it. The only thing that could be a negative point in my opinion would be the graphic scenes. They weren't really that necessary.

    In the end, I would say that Joyland is probably the best film that's come out of Pakistani industry in a long time. We need to support such films and accept the existence of all the brutalities of the society they make us aware about. And lastly, try to do something about them.
    7Sillyreviews

    The tragedy called life

    Joyland is a deep, emotional and quite sad film. The moments of happiness are quite often also wrapped in pain and guilt and the sad moments take the lead in the whole story.

    Joyland is a film about a Pakistani man that finds a job as a background dancer in an erotic theatre. The main dancer is trans, who you can see struggles with how she is perceived in society as "not a real woman". The two fall in love which causes problems between the man and his wife. Who live with the father, brother, wife in-law (and their kids), of the man. Who are more conservative.

    This film shows the struggles of people who fall out of order in the traditional Pakistani society. Women who want to work although they are married, trans people who are not perceived as the gender they embody no matter what they do and men who don't fit in the masculine stereotype set out by society.

    The cinematography and ambience is great in this film. The reason why I gave it a 7 ( although more of an 7,5) was because at times the story felt somewhat slow and boring in a sense, although quite some stuff was happening. I would say over all you should absolutely watch this beautiful film, it will bring you in touch with a world you probably haven't seen before.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Originally banned in its country of origin, Pakistan, a censor board review committee ultimately cleared it. However, a ban remains in the province of Punjab, where the movie is set. It was also Pakistan's submission to the 95th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. It made the shortlist of fifteen films, but was not ultimately nominated.
    • Quotes

      Haider: Sometimes I feel like I have nothing that's my own. Everything feels borrowed or stolen from someone else.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Amanda the Jedi Show: I Watched 45 Movies in 1 Week | 'Talk to Me' and the Best Movies of Sundance 2023 Explained (2023)

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    FAQ

    • How long is Joyland?
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    Details

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    • Release date
      • November 18, 2022 (Pakistan)
    • Countries of origin
      • Pakistan
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Film Constellation (United Kingdom)
      • Film Manufacturers Inc. (United States)
    • Languages
      • Urdu
      • Punjabi
    • Also known as
      • Джойленд
    • Production companies
      • All Caps
      • Astrakan Films
      • Blood Moon Creative
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $306,500
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $20,638
      • Apr 9, 2023
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,164,351
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 6 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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