Joyland

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Joyland

2023

2h 6m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

89 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

The Ranas--a happily patriarchal joint family--yearn for the birth of a baby boy to continue the family line. Their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and falls for an ambitious trans starlet. Their impossible love story slowly illuminates the entire Rana family's desire for sexual rebellion.

Critics Consensus

With stunning honesty that's achingly bittersweet, Joyland tackles gender and sexual fluidity in a repressed patriarchal society with wisps of hopefulness.

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Mark Jenkins

Washington Post

May 23, 2023

3.5/4

The theme of repression in a regimented society percolates throughout this melancholy and lovely Pakistani film.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

May 17, 2023

3.5/4

Ali Junejo’s performance ranks as one of the finest you’ll see in any year.

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Hannah Bae

San Francisco Chronicle

May 17, 2023

4/4

What’s in a name? For Pakistani filmmaker Saim Sadiq, there’s so much meaning wrapped up in the title of his extraordinary debut feature, “Joyland.”

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Alisha Mughal

The Asian Cut

Aug 2, 2025

One of those gems that, depending on where you are in your life, delivers a different message after every watch.

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Anna Hoang

Boston Hassle

Jul 17, 2025

3.5/5

When I think about JOYLAND long after watching it, the aftermath’s complexity can honestly be narrowed to the one trite but true: human.

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Calum Cooper

The People's Movies

Jul 17, 2024

4/5

Director Saim Sadiq makes excellent use of melodrama and cinematography in order to convey his scathing critiques.

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Saim Sadiq

Director

Ali Junejo

Haider

Rasti Farooq

Mumtaz

Alina Khan

Biba

Sarwat Gilani

Nucchi

Salmaan Peerzada

Rana Amanullah

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Synopsis

The Ranas--a happily patriarchal joint family--yearn for the birth of a baby boy to continue the family line. Their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and falls for an ambitious trans starlet. Their impossible love story slowly illuminates the entire Rana family's desire for sexual rebellion.

Director: Saim Sadiq
Producer: Apoorva Guru Charan, Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, Sabiha Sumar, Lauren Mann, Kathryn M. Moseley, Oliver Ridge, April Shih, Katharina Otto-Bernstein
Screenwriter: Maggie Briggs, Saim Sadiq
Distributor: Oscilloscope Laboratories
Production Co: All Caps, Khoosat Films, Extracurricular Productions, Left Handed Films, Diversity Hire, One Two Twenty Entertainment, Blood Moon Creative, Film Manufacturers, Astrakan Film AB, Noruz Films, Vidhi Films, Instinct Productions
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Urdu
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 7, 2023, Limited
Runtime: 2h 6m

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