Joyland

Noble4.5

Joyland is a devastating tale where almost everyone is guilty, but no one, in particular, is to blame.

trainwrecktim4.5

All she wanted was an air conditioner… (or two)

Darren Carver-Balsiger4.0

***vague spoilers***The ocean is huge and life feels small. Joyland is about the inner turmoil within the lives of a few people, but its depiction of repression and desire feels very expansive. Touching upon patriarchy within Pakistan, Joyland presents a world where sexuality, masculinity, and femininity are all restricted by expectations. The characters live a tough existence because they struggle to be who they want. The film doesn't give them a journey with a happy ending, instead it leaves their fate rather unsure. Joyland is a complex and difficult work, not placing judgements on its main characters but instead examining the consequences of their decisions within the limited world they have. In a way the film gains more lead characters as it progresses, spiralling away from one man to focus on his wife and others. Joyland is almost a film constructed backwards, an examination of what led to the death of a woman. A flashback scene late on places the characters in a new context perhaps, where love seems hopeful even if it is a sham. Joyland is a carefully presented movie, shot with a confined aspect ratio that oppresses the characters. It's a fascinating exploration of bad choices made within an suffocating world, the sort of movie that stays with you a while.2023 Ranked