‘In Flames’ isn’t an easy watch, but it’s an important discussion that needs to be addressed.
The Big Picture
- Pakistani films like
In Flames
boldly explore cultural heritage through progressive dialogue on identity, sexuality, and patriarchy. -
In Flames
disrupts conventional horror tropes, and delves into the psychological spectrum with themes of otherness and marginalization. - In Flames effectively portrays patriarchal oppression and women’s struggles in Pakistan through engaging visuals and performances.
Between Joyland and The Queen of My Dreams, Pakistani films have started to assert their own identity in a sea of culturally authentic films. Drawing inspiration from the country’s diverse traditions and folklore, these films often manage a strong dialogue around identity, sexuality, womanhood, and patriarchy. Though the subject matter is usually taboo to discuss openly in its native country, these films boldly explore the local heritage through some very controversial dialogues that give more of an attentive focus to oppressed voices. One such film is Pakistani-Canadian director Zarrar Kahn’s eerie debut In Flames, Pakistan’s official entry for the Best International Film category at the Academy Awards. While the film offers strong, artistic visuals through striking direction and cinematography, In Flamesdoesn’t lean into mainstream horror, but it fiercely nails an unnerving ambiance for a deeply affecting psychological thriller.
With the film being among one of the many finally putting Pakistan on the world stage, In Flames is a deeply nuanced and complex slow-burn thriller that plays with the kind of horror that extends itself into the psychological spectrum felt by its main characters. Creating perspectives that explore otherness and marginalization across culturally entrenched patriarchal structures, In Flames effectively disrupts conventional tropes, subverting the audience’s expectations through its visual palette, striking performances, and depiction of trauma. First premiering at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight followed by its Canadian debut at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, the haunting story about a mother and daughter forced to navigate their oppressive roots is a rather layered, elevated horror film that will surely stick with you long after the credits roll.
In Flames
After the death of the family patriarch, a mother and daughter’s precarious existence is ripped apart. They must find strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them.
- Release Date
- April 12, 2024
- Director
- Zarrar Kahn
- Cast
- Ramesha Nawal , Omar Javaid , Bakhtawar Mazhar , Mohammad Ali Hashmi , Adnan Shah
- Runtime
- 98 Minutes
What Is ‘In Flames’ About?
Set in Karachi, also known as the country’s most populous and progressive city, In Flames follows Mariam (Ramesha Nawal) a young girl who plunges deep into grief after the death of her family’s only surviving patriarchal figure, her grandfather. Living in a cramped apartment with her younger brother and mother, Fariha (Bakhtawar Mazhar), the trio do their best to move on amid the grief. During this period, Mariam’s shady maternal grandfather’s brother Nasir (Adnan Shah Tipu) tries to take advantage of the family, first by wooing the mother to look good in her eyes, then subsequently forcing them to give up their home. Unfortunately, this is a common situation in Pakistan where women’s property rights are denied and subjected to limitations.
Fariha, who is grieving and feeling alone, gives in to manipulation, leaving Mariam crushed by her mother’s vulnerability to such emotional and internalized abuse. During this time, the young daughter finds comfort in a secret romance with Asad (Omar Javaid), a fellow student from Canada. This budding, blossoming romance appears sweet on the surface and baits the audience into thinking there’s a “happily ever after.” But as their relationship takes an unforeseen turn, Mariam begins to have vivid waking nightmares that blur the line between reality and psychological torment. As Mariam’s feelings of grief and pain begin to build up, she is suddenly shrouded by a mysterious figure who seems to be watching and haunting her every move. Fariha, working hard to make amends much to the compromise of her identity, realizes her daughter is experiencing a nightmarish emotional state and must help her escape a tangible, spectral threat.
‘In Flames’ Leans Into the Horrors of Patriarchal Oppression
Having the honor of being Cannes’ first Pakistani film after 50 years to grace the Director’s Fortnight, In Flames serves as a sharp, haunting commentary on the country’s entrenched patriarchal structures. Challenging audiences to expand their empathy and engage with more complex issues that advance the perspectives of women in South Asian cultures, the Zarrar Kahn debut is a sincerely written and performed story about a mother and daughter struggling for survival and self-empowerment among some very horrific threats. Kahn skillfully finds its horrors from the portrayal of oppression through othering that impacts women’s lives and creates a mission-driven dialogue about survival.
Throughout In Flames, men exert control over Mariam and her mother Fariha through blackmail, whether emotional or financial. The family matriarch is left with significant debts and forced to rely on her father for years following the death of her husband. Even with the family’s patriarch now gone, the women are subjected to another man exploiting their survival under Uncle Nasir. Though he appears to be helpful at first, much to Mariam’s suspicion, it becomes clear he has ulterior motives that exemplify the horrors of men who deprive women of their rights. Unfortunately, Pakistan is a country that allows only a small percentage of women to own a bank account, further aggravating the horrors of survival and leading to chronic poverty. In Flames captivatingly emphasizes how patriarchal structures allow men the opportunity to assert their dominance as a privilege. Henceforth, women wrongfully assume that a man is needed to provide them with financial support when a crisis hits, as seen in Fariha’s interactions with the family lawyer and her suggestive advances stemming from an innate insecurity and archaic norms.
‘In Flames’ Sneak Peek Reveals Something Lurking in Pakistani Thriller [Exclusive]
The movie was Pakistan’s official entry for the Best International Film cateogory at the Oscars.
While women in the West are no strangers to misogyny and sexism in interactions with men, whether in the workplace or just walking down the street, In Flames tackles the various instances of threats and intimidation Mariam faces as a young, vulnerable woman. It’s in these moments that women watching In Flames might feel shaken up as these ominous scenes feel too close to home. Mariam is the subject of predatory behavior from men who feel entitled to harass her outside her window, engaging in sexual acts. Meanwhile, others intimidate her for the sake of their ornamental obsessions toward women, like a man who vandalizes her car while randomly driving down the street, or the taxi driver who is initially kind but has something else in mind. It’s these horrific moments built by Kahn that demonstrate how women are continuously at risk of violence and harassment simply for existing in public spaces.
‘In Flames’ Needs More Complexity With Its Characters
Though the film thrives as a slow burn that addresses themes of patriarchal oppression in specific cultural contexts, more character development wouldn’t have hurt. The actors offer absorbing performances in their respective scenes – especially Ramesha Nawal. However, more detailed insights into whom these characters are outside the men who ruin their world could have elevated our connection to these characters. While we got some of those nuances in the relationship between Mariam and her aspirations to be a doctor and how she cares for her family, understanding the psychological dynamics behind their fears should have been executed sharply to delve deeper. Mariam and Fariha have a strained relationship and, while we don’t learn why until the end and recognize their haunted trauma, a stronger attention to these dynamics could enhance the film’s themes and narrative complexities.
Moreover, as the film covers a rather limited conversation in the cultural context, this is not a complete reflection of an all-encompassing Karachi. Instead, it is a portrait of those impoverished and left to no aid due to the constraints and confinements of archaic structures fueled by culturally rooted patriarchal systems. The portrait of patriarchal oppression is a multifaceted one, and though Kahn manages to strongly depict cultural nuances and sociopolitical dynamics, the film could have depicted the various sides of this conversation to challenge norms and traditions related to genderism for a stronger dialogue in feminist films.
In Flames twists the highs of psychological horror with some soft supernatural elements to offer a sense of unease and tension that not only saturates every scene but keeps the audience curious. Featuring strong performances and symbolism that heightens the film’s sound design and cinematography to fully immerse the viewer, Kahn directs a sharp, absorbing, and nuanced exploration of a society grappling with internalized trauma and pain based on gender-based discrimination and abuse. Thought-provoking and poignant, In Flames isn’t an easy conversation, but it is a necessary one that rests its narrative on the pervasive gaze of patriarchal oppression.
In Flames
In Flames doesn’t lean into mainstream horror but it nails an unnerving ambiance for a deeply affecting psychological thriller.
- The film effectively disrupts conventional tropes, subverting the audience?s expectations through its visual palette, striking performances, and depiction of trauma.
- Ramesha Nawal gives a striking, absorbing performance as a woman on the brink of a psychological breakdown.
- Though the film thrives as a slow burn, more character development could have heightened our connection to these everyday characters.
In Flames is now playing in limited theaters in the U.S. Check below for showtimes.
This article was originally published on collider.com