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In Flames

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In Flames

Name: In Flames
Director: Zarrar Kahn
Genre: Horror, Drama, Thriller
Released: 2023
Duration: 1 h 37 min
Cast: Ramesha Nawal, Bakhtawar Mazhar, Omar Javaid, Mohammad Ali Hashmi, Adnan Tipu Shah

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Horror
Drama

2023
Zarrar Kahn
97 mins
15

Summary

Supernatural horror starring Ramesha Nawal and Bakhtawar Mazhar. A young Karachi woman and her mother face a string of unusual threats after the family patriarch dies.

IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Emma Simmonds

The horrors of patriarchal Pakistan are explored in this impressive chiller from debut writer/director Zarrar Kahn, which combines supernatural scares with social commentary. Set in Karachi, it follows medical student Mariam (Ramesha Nawal) and her mother Fariha (Bakhtawar Mazhar) as they attempt to fend off threats, both real and imagined, after the death of Mariam's grandfather leaves the pair in a vulnerable position. Though Mariam is a hardworking student who finds the potential for romantic happiness with Omar Javaid's kind-hearted Asad, a second unsettling incident threatens to tip her over the edge, while the family's past comes back to (quite literally) haunt them. In Flames is a riveting portrait of trying to negotiate oppressively sexist environs while also processing trauma. If it lacks a little finesse in some of its genre elements, these are incorporated well into the gripping, appropriately incendiary story. The film steers admirably clear of cheap frights, skilfully ratcheting up an atmosphere of unease and keeping the viewer hooked through its astonishingly authentic performances.

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5.9/10