In ‘Lali,’ the First All-Pakistani Film at Berlin, Love Is a Battlefield, and a Man Pretends to Be Possessed to Control His Wife (Exclusive Trailer)

A man pretends to be possessed to try to control his wife, who has a reputation for being a cursed bride, in Lalithe first all-Pakistani feature at the Berlin International Film Festival (the festival has in the past featured Pakistani co-productions). Audiences can actually celebrate Valentine’s Day with this cinematic reminder that love can be a battlefield. After all, the darkly comic new movie from writer-director Sarmad Sultan Khoosat (Circus of Life, Joylandboth of which were Pakistan’s official Oscar submissions, with the latter winning the jury prize at Cannes) gets its world premiere in Berlin’s Panorama section on Feb. 14.

The film tells the story of Zeba, who is newly married to man-child Sajawal after having three suitors who ended up dying. She seeks refuge in two women. The one is Sohni Ammi, her feisty mother-in-law, whose sharp tongue hides a big heart, while the other is Bholi, a quiet and wise neighbor. But Sajawal is haunted by paranoia.

Mamya Shajaffar, Channan Hanif, Rasti Farooq, Farazeh Syed, and Mehr Bano star in the exploration of marriage, repression, and trauma, focused on a couple whose relationship runs the gamut from desire to superstition and fear.

Produced by Khoosat Films in collaboration with Enso Films, Lali “examines the fear, shame, and violence that lie beneath intimate relationships,” according to a synopsis of the movie. “With a keen eye for human complexity, it seeks to confront and release the suppressed forces that continue to suffocate many unions.”