Summary

Zarrar Khan’s storytelling is hauntingly beautiful, capturing the suffocating nature of patriarchal customs.
The director blends genres skillfully to strengthen mother-daughter bond over generational trauma.

In Flames
disrupts the psyche with violent interactions, reflecting the challenging state of women’s safety.

In Flames, Pakistan’s official entry for best international film at the 2024 Academy Awards, captures the complexity of a Pakistani society when moral ambiguity intersects with patriarchal customs. Written and directed by Zarrar Khan, this psychological thriller blends genres to effectively capture mental health when generational trauma is at the forefront and all agency seems lost. A roaring achievement for the first-time feature director, In Flames is an intensely vivid tale of survival. Khan’s humanistic approach towards understanding marginalized women is hauntingly beautiful.

After the death of the family patriarch, a mother and daughter’s precarious existence is ripped apart by figures from their past. They must find strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them.Director Zarrar Kahn Release Date April 12, 2024 Studio(s) CityLights Media , Other Memory Media , Fae Pictures Distributor(s) XYZ Films Writers Zarrar Kahn Cast Ramesha Nawal , Omar Javaid , Bakhtawar Mazhar , Mohammad Ali Hashmi , Adnan Shah Runtime 98 Minutes ProsZarrar Khan’s methodical storytelling is hauntingly beautiful.Khan skillfully blends genres to capture the suffocating nature of patriarchal customs.The heart of the film is the strengthening of a mother-daughter relationship to over generational trauma.

Khan’s Storytelling Is Harrowing, Yet Beautifully Humane In In Flames

The story begins with a family coming to terms with the recent loss of their patriarch. Mariam’s (Ramesha Nawal) world turns upside down when her younger brother, Bilal (Jibran Khan), and mother Fariha (Bakhtawar Mazhar) are forced to cope in their tiny Karachi apartment. Upon her grandfather’s death, Uncle Nasir (Adnan Shah) tries to manipulate them into signing over their apartment to him, calling into question his motives and reaffirming the fragility of women’s property rights. Thanks to the ongoing trauma and grief Fariha is already experiencing, she is easily influenced and blind to Nasir’s intentions.

As the story progresses, Mariam tries to find comfort and distraction in her friends and studies. Somehow, they never seem to be enough; every day is a reminder of the state she’s living in. As an example, a stranger interrupts Miriam’s drive to the library by throwing a brick through her car window and forcefully grabbing at her. This violent interaction is just one small example of Mariam’s experience as a woman in Pakistan. What’s worse is that the stranger deems her a “whore” simply for being outside by herself and, when asked about it, Miriam seemingly receives the blame.

In Flames Director Zarrar Kahn Release Date April 12, 2024 Studio(s) CityLights Media , Other Memory Media , Fae Pictures Distributor(s) XYZ Films Writers Zarrar Kahn Cast Ramesha Nawal , Omar Javaid , Bakhtawar Mazhar , Mohammad Ali Hashmi , Adnan Shah Runtime 98 Minutes

In Flames Is An Experience That Disrupts The Psyche & Lures Us In For Healing

Khan’s use of small, violent interactions tells a haunting yet important story about the state of affairs when it comes to women, safety, and agency. For Mariam, even the police are unreliable when she demands justice. Shortly after, Miriam begins dating Asad (Omar Javaid), a pushy, albeit seemingly sweet fellow student. When their relationship takes an unexpected turn, Mariam becomes consumed by psychological and emotional upheaval, leading to an experience that is intensely frightening and alarming. Here, Khan skillfully fuses together a brilliant blend of genres, taking us through Mariam’s slow mental deterioration with trauma at the forefront.

Through deliberate and methodical visual storytelling, Khan braces us with both subtle and lurid imagery to reflect the crashing effect of the patriarchal norms and trauma that Miriam is experiencing. The color schemes, paranormal essence, and sonic cues build a penetrating atmosphere that feels disruptive to the psyche, yet it is something that is understood by many women around the world. As Miriam begins to lose her senses and grasp on reality, ours is strengthened as we come to recognize the source of her trauma. Through his delicate approach, Khan beautifully captures the meaning of survival for Pakistani women.

Khan’s humanistic approach towards understanding marginalized women is hauntingly beautiful.

Towards the end of In Flames, Khan directs us to a core message: To survive any circumstance, leaning on the ones who care for you the most is the way through. For Mariam, that means relying on her mother and them working together to end the generational trauma that haunts them once and for all. Perhaps unintentionally, Khan emphasizes the importance of mother-daughter relationships through Fariha and Mariam as they build a new safety net together. But more than anything, he shows that women, even when their backs are against the wall, can find the strength to take back their agency.