Critics reviews

[Joyland] is a picture of considerable integrity, passion, and bravery... While it keeps a sharp, neo-realist-influenced eye on the everyday lives of its characters, "Joyland" often gets so intimate as to discomfit the viewer to the point of exasperation. But the movie itself never judges.

Joyland has a vivid sense of place, created not so much by its geographical backdrop as its characters. There’s an attention to detail in the rituals of daily life, whether it’s family celebrations or the rehearsals of the dance group... [It is] a thoughtful, well performed and engrossing drama set in a culture that’s shifting, and not always with ease.

Outrage works in the movie’s favor; this polite weepie needs the added spice. While about an unconventional affair, the movie is more interested in suppression and restraint.

Joyland is full of extraordinary situations that prevent it from being defined by its topicality or tantamount to a badge of honor... Never has a film paid this sort of attention to the subtleties of love between a man and a trans woman.

You could, if you were commending “Joyland” to friends, call it a devastating indictment of transphobia and misogyny in an unreconstructed patriarchy, and you’d be right. But such a description says next to nothing about the actual experience of watching the film... Sadiq is not lecturing us or trading in types; he is taking us by sensory surprise, and the tale that he tells is funny, forward, and sometimes woundingly sad.

[Joyland] isn't so far removed from the business of a thousand and one South Asian melodramas: good people following their hearts into a tangle. That this tangle proves supremely absorbing is down in large part to the richness of the worlds Sadiq and co-writer Maggie Briggs describe.

[An] intelligent, compassionate story of people struggling against repressive social codes... [in which] most of the characters’ problems are universally recognisable.

Sadiq holds his ensemble in careful balance. Although Haider’s secret drives the plot, there’s plenty of room for the lives of the other characters... All of this is shot by cinematographer Joe Saade with an emphasis on moments of unexpected warmth.

[Joyland] transcends the tragic romance narrative, to achieve something rather more complex and satisfying... Richly detailed and superbly acted across the board, the film cast a scathing eye over the rigid social constraints that ensnare anyone who fails to conform.

A stunning portrait of a marriage under stress... [a] skilfully constructed drama, flawlessly played and with a gut-punch finale.

[The script] ensures that each supporting character is beautifully drawn in miniature strokes... [while] the visuals are as impressive as the cast... Mostly, Joyland is a film of huge heart and empathy. Mirroring the hapless hero’s journey, it’s an unexpected romance.

Joyland’s hallmark is the breadth and nuance it affords every one of its characters... That generosity is summed up by the camerawork: a graceful, roving eye that routinely finds all parties in a scene before coming to rest on the most interesting place in the room.