A film that derives strength solely from being inspired by a tragic story that occurred in 2016 is the one presented at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, this December 2023.
Iram Parveen Bilal was named one of the directors to be watched by the Alliance of Women Directors in 2020. Her previous film, “I’ll Meet You There,” was in the Grand Jury competition at SXSW in 2020 and was banned on its release in Pakistan.
One of A Kind – Wahkri rewrites the tragic story of Qandeel Baloch, giving it a hopeful ending. The young woman from the working class of Pakistan, an actress, model, blogger, and social media star, but above all a feminist heroine and icon of freedom, was silenced (literally suffocated by her brother) in 2016, despite the fact that her entire family also benefited from her fame.
Qandeel inspires the story of One of A Kind – Wahkri. The film’s protagonist is a young Pakistani widow with a son to support and an elementary school teacher in Lahore, a girls’ school that may soon close. Angry, disappointed, supported only by the love of her 10-year-old son and her best friend – who embodies the LGBTQ+ community and its struggles within a patriarchal society – and with the memory of her beloved husband who passed away 8 years earlier in an accident, the woman begins to fight to raise money for the school.
Until it seems like money is raining down on her.
Completely by chance, she becomes a social media star overnight when she is filmed performing, disguised, in a nightclub and freely expressing her opinions on patriarchy.
As expected, her rebellious influencer fame also attracts hostilities from a society still trapped in male chauvinism, from which she must defend herself more and more. But when Wahkri finds her path and her voice, no one can stop her.
The film’s ending includes documentary footage of protests that occurred after Qandeel’s death, which helped awaken the feminist consciousness of an entire country, making her a true icon.
This is the true power of the film, which, in terms of storytelling but above all visually, leaves much to be desired. The solutions often seem predictable, the aesthetic execution is rather disappointing and quite cheap, and the film seems to address the topic in a cliché and rushed manner. Paradoxically, despite the subject, One of A Kind – Wahkri is a superficial and hastily made film from every perspective.
However, it must be said that anything that can bring Qandeel back to life, help us not forget her story and the stories of many women like her who still have to fight every day, is good and right.
This is the only reason why this film should be watched, for its being a precious document and a valuable reminder and for leaving hope, as in the end, “Qandeel” does get a second chance.In the film’s finale, the protagonist becomes the spokesperson for hope; a hope that no woman will ever be silenced again, not only in a physical sense, but also in a metaphorical sense. It’s an invitation to never stop fighting the battle for freedom, which starts with freedom of expression.
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Great post. I am facing a couple of these problems.