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The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE recommends a haunting portrayal of the stricken mental health of young women in Pakistan’s fiercely patriarchal society
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In Flames (15)
Directed by Zarrar Khan
SET in Pakistan, writer-director Zarrar Khan’s fascinating debut feature explores the psychological impact of gendered oppression in this patriarchal society within the constructs of a supernatural horror thriller.
The film is seen through the eyes of 25-year-old Mariam (impressive newcomer Ramesha Nawal) who is studying medicine and lives with her younger brother and their mother Fariha (Bakhtawar Mazhar) in a small flat in Karachi. When Mariam’s maternal grandfather dies his brother (Adnan Shah) suddenly starts helping them apparently out of the goodness of his heart, but a savvy Mariam warns her mum not to sign any documents he may bring her. However the grief-stricken Fariha, who is still mourning the loss of her husband, fails to heed her daughter’s advice.
Furious at her mum’s naivete Mariam finds solace in a secret romance with a fellow student Asad (Omar Javaid). She begins to be plagued by nightmares and her mental health starts to deteriorate as she is haunted by ghosts from the past unbeknown to her mum.
The film shines a light on the oppressive way Pakistani women are treated and how they are preyed upon by men who manipulate them into signing over their homes. Apparently this is common practice in Pakistan where women’s property rights are fragile. It also examines the consequences of living in such a fiercely patriarchal society, where women are beholden to men, and the traumas that come with being young and in love there.
This slow burning horror is eerily disturbing as Mariam starts losing her grip on reality as she is terrorised by apparitions. Finally taking control and finding her own voice again Fariha comes to Mariam’s rescue as she attempts to save her and their troubled mother-daughter relationship.
Nawal gives a mesmerising performance and she carries the film with aplomb. It is the final denouement that reveals a horrific twist and the legacy of familial violence that both Fariha and Mariam were victims of.
It ends on a powerful and haunting note as Khan gives us an eye-opening glimpse into life in Pakistan.
Out in cinemas May 24
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