The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

London Film Festival 2018

Joy

London Film Festival 2018: Joy | Review
4 October 2018
Michael Higgs
Avatar
Michael Higgs
4 October 2018
Public screenings
15th October 2018 8.50pm at Vue West End
15th October 2018 9.15pm at Vue West End
17th October 2018 12.30pm at Vue West End

Movie and show review

Michael Higgs

Joy

★★★★★

Special event

Sex trafficking, issues of undocumented immigration and exploitation are hardly themes which will make for an uplifting film, as Austrian-Iranian director Sudabeh Mortezai’s Joy demonstrates succinctly. Brutally honest depictions of a rarely covered topic make this a particularly tough flick to watch.

The plot is centred around Joy (Anwulika Alphonsus), who left Nigeria to make her fortune in Europe. To pay for all necessities she is forced to become indebted to “Madame” (Angela Ekeleme), a procurer with a range of girls selling their bodies for money. The protagonist is already close to paying off the debts when she is instructed to take care of Precious (Mariam Sanusi), a recent member of the “family” whose readiness to offer herself up is less than enthusiastic.

The picture is, as expected, very heavy-going. It captures the life of a migrant sex worker extremely well, depicting all aspects that such a life entails, including waiting in the cold for hours to find a client, being forced to give most of the money to “Madame” or the family in Nigeria and the constant threat of being discovered by the police and thus facing deportation.

The feature’s production value is kept to a minimum. There are no special effects, there’s no soundtrack; everything is very straight-forward. The shots are equally minimalistic, capturing the actors as they go about their daily business. This has an interesting effect – on the one hand, the entire scenario feels real and close to life; on the other, it makes the movie feel rather slow-paced at times. Furthermore, Mortezai deliberately chose non-professional actors, some of whom are ex-sex workers. Again, this has a dual effect: we know the performances are genuine and entirely close to life, but occasionally they don’t quite manage to deliver the desired emotion. That being said, everyone involved clearly put a lot of effort into the production, and for the most part, they are perfectly believable in their roles.

All this makes Joy a fascinating feature. It’s not entertaining to watch, exactly, at times feeling slow or less than professional. But it’s not trying to be. In the picture’s aim to explore the themes of migrant sex workers, immigration control and exploitation, it is absolutely excellent, making this a genuine slice-of-life exposition of urgent societal issues. For this reason alone, it should be an absolute must-see.

★★★★★

Michael Higgs

Joy does not have a UK release date yet.

Read more reviews and interviews from our London Film Festival 2018 coverage here.

For further information about the festival visit the official BFI website here.

Watch the trailer for Joy here:

Related Itemslondon film festivalreview

More in Film festivals

Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.

★★★★★
Matthew McMillan
Read More

“I think I’m kind of a drug addict for image and sound coming together! I’m always putting images to sound and getting high”: An interview with Hlynur Pálmason, director of Godland

Selina Sondermann
Read More

Watcher

★★★★★
Matthew McMillan
Read More

Resurrection

★★★★★
Matthew McMillan
Read More

Sharp Stick

★★★★★
Matthew McMillan
Read More

Leyla’s Brothers: An interview with Saeed Roustayi

Selina Sondermann
Read More

Plan 75: An interview with director Chie Hayakawa

Selina Sondermann
Read More

Falcon Lake: An interview with director Charlotte Le Bon

Selina Sondermann
Read More

“How to make a genuine portrait of life”: An interview with the stars of Leila’s Brothers

Selina Sondermann
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Movie and show review

Michael Higgs

Joy

★★★★★

Special event

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Paolo Nutini – Last Night in the Bittersweet
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Beauty and the Beast: The Musical at London Palladium
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Brian and Charles
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The Railway Children Return
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Viagra Boys – Cave World
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Black Bird
    ★★★★★
    apple
  • The End of the Night at Original Theatre Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Throne at Charing Cross Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “We really wanted to create a cabbage gun”: An interview with David Earl and Chris Hayward stars of Brian and Charles
    Cinema & Tv
  • Flamenco Festival 2022 at Sadler’s Wells
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Black Bird
    ★★★★★
    apple
  • Paolo Nutini – Last Night in the Bittersweet
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Viagra Boys – Cave World
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • The Railway Children Return
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Adele lights up Hyde Park for BST Festival
    ★★★★★
    Live music
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

London Film Festival 2018: Asako I & II (Netemo Sametemo) | Review
London Film Festival 2018: Papi Chulo | Review