Williams Lake Film Club
Special to Tribune
Are you in the mood for something compelling, vibrant, funny, and genuinely uplifting?
Then be sure to check out Fawzia Mirza’s delightful debut, The Queen of my Dreams, screening Thursday May 9 at the Paradise Cinemas.
It features a richly imaginative three-part intergenerational story spanning four decades, all portrayed with the energy and style of a Bollywood musical.
Twenty-two-year-old Canadian born Azra (Amrit Kaur) is in a tricky position. A quasi observant Muslim, she lives happily in Toronto with her girlfriend, and is in graduate school studying to be an actor — both points of contention for her deeply conservative mother, Miriam (Nimra Bucha).
It seems as though the only thing they share anymore is a love for classic Bollywood films, films Azra grew up watching with her mother.
While Azra still has a close bond with her father Hassan (Hamza Haq), he is now stuck negotiating the role of mediator between the two most important women in his life.
When a death in the family occurs, Azra must travel to Pakistan, her parent’s homeland, where she embarks on a fantastical Bollywood inspired journey of discovery into her mother’s past.
In the process she arrives at a deeper understanding of herself, and how she and her mother have more in common than she realized.
Yes, this film tackles some substantial topics — cultural identity, gender, tradition, and grief to name a few —but it is also light in spirit, authentically funny, superbly acted, and utterly stylish.
This is managed, no doubt, because of the film’s distinctive narrative structure - we spend time with present day Azra in ’90s Toronto and in Pakistan, but also travel back to Karachi in 1969, where we learn the story of Miriam and Hassan’s courtship, and how they broke through conventional traditions to forge their own path, all reimagined Bollywood style.
We also witness some of Azra’s most formative memories as a young girl in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
In a unique twist, Amrit Kaur plays both 22-year-old Azra, and the twenty something version of Miriam in 1969 Pakistan. Mirza weaves past and present together seamlessly, with stunning period costumes, lively music, vividly colourful production design, and spectacular location shots.
Kaur’s performance is like a breath of fresh air. To tackle the dual roles, she learned some Urdu and took Bharatanatyam, Indian classical dance lessons.
As film critic Valerie Complex writes, “The Queen of my Dreams is a film that doesn’t shy away from wearing it’s heart on its sleeve. It’s endearing charm radiates not only from its affectionate nod to Sharmila Tagore, or its love affair with Bollywood, but also from its dedication to narrating the tales of multiple generations of women who examine, reflect, and celebrate their experiences. Mirza directs with a colorful fervor that will resonate with viewers, making them feel a part of its world, even if for a short time.” (Deadline 2023).
The Queen of my Dreams is screening on Thursday May 9 at the Paradise Cinemas (78 Third Ave South). Rated PG. In English and Urdu (with subtitles). Tickets are $10. Advance tickets are on sale now at The Open Book, and remaining tickets will be sold in the cinema lobby prior to the screening. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. To hear about the latest upcoming Williams Lake Film Club screenings, email williamslakefilmclub@gmail.com.