TRAIFF 2023: In Flames Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Independent and foreign films have a reputation of being a hotbed for diverse voices and styles that are often overlooked by a wide array of audiences more inclined towards bigger budget fare. Creating compelling work that can rival Hollywood productions, they broaden horizons with different stories told from different points of view than our own. This just goes hand-in-hand with the continued need of increased representation across pop culture. The inherent nature of representation means that works will resonate with certain audiences more than others which is not necessarily a bad thing but these swings are more than worth it. The feature written and directorial debut of Zarrar Kahn, In Flames is a Pakistani-Canadian psychological horror drama about two generations of Pakistani women suffering through grief and trauma while also weaving in social commentary about the country’s highly-misogynistic and oppressive nature towards women. While gripping, where the film ultimately falters is how both sides of the story coin fail to truly come together in a satisfying way. Had it picked a side, it may have fared better. 

The story is centered around a medical student named Mariam (Nawal) struck with grief following the recent loss of her grandfather. In the midst of her grief, she not only had to support her family including her mother Fariha (Mazhar), but also worry about her exams. As her family continued to spiral, tragedy quickly struck Mariam, leaving her feeling even more vulnerable and alone. The source of her issues appeared to be some mysterious dark force that loomed over her as the story took a supernatural turn that comes off as a little jarring. Used to reinforce the film’s themes and commentary, this decision perhaps was not as successful as the longer the film went, the more convoluted the story became. Besides the unsubtle themes and commentary, there’s not much else there. 

In spite of the flaws within its story, the best part of In Flames and what holds it together a pair of stellar performances by Nawal and Mazhar as Mariam and Fariha. Grounded in their mother-daughter dynamic, their chemistry makes them compelling to watch but the film should have tapped into that dynamic more. Meanwhile, Nawal worked wonders with what she was given, being asked to carry a lot of emotion. Doing an admirable job, it’s unfortunate that it didn’t amount to more. Fariha took a similar path, though to a lesser extent.

At the end of the day, In Flames is a gripping psychological horror drama with strong elements though takes on too much and falters within its execution. 

*still courtesy of XYZ Films*

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.