Lali

In the dappled shade of the jamun tree and the silence of her kitchen, which is overflowing with the scent of spices, Zeba moves as quietly as a ghost. She is newly married; baroque costumes and richly colored furnishings still bear witness to the celebration, yet the mood at home is somber: her husband, Sajawal, feels haunted by his own reflection. So Zeba seeks and finds refuge and comfort in two women: her mother-in-law, Sohni Ammi, whose sharp tongue holds great delight, and her taciturn neighbor, Bholi, whose glances speak volumes. Zeba herself, in turn, struggles with the shadows of her past. The deaths of three men who died before they could marry Zeba hang over her like a curse. But slowly, love begins to blossom between Sajawal and her, even as his paranoia grows ever more intense. Bodies become battlefields; desire leads to anarchy.

Lali is a dark yet immensely humorous fever dream set in the shantytown suburbs of Sahiwal, Pakistan, where prophecies weigh heavily on people and spirits wander merrily among the living. Rarely, truly very rarely, has a cinematic experience been so rewarding!