What Will People Say – Hva vil folk si (2017)

Directed by: Iram Haq | 106 minutes | drama | Actors: Maria Mozhdah, Adil Hussain, Ekavali Khanna, Rohit Saraf, Ali Arfan, Sheeba Chaddha, Lalit Parimoo, Nokokure Dahl, Isak Lie Harr, Maria Bock, Sara Khorami, Jannat Zubair Rahmani, Freddy Singh, Trine Wedges

With ‘What Will People Say’, director Iram Haq has translated her own experiences as a child into a film script. The character she loosely based on herself is called Nisha (Maria Mozhdah). The 16-year-old Pakistani lives with her family in Norway. At home she is the perfect Islamic daughter, but outdoors she is a typical rebellious Western teenager. When she is caught by her father one night with a white boy in her room, her father goes crazy. He kidnaps her to Pakistan where she has to be “re-educated” with family. Totally estranged and struggling to trust anyone after her father’s actions, she has to put up with herself in dire situations.

‘What Will People Say’ shines a light on problems that are difficult for Western culture to imagine. But the film makes this very easy to feel through realistic acting (especially from Mozhdah) and a script that contains a necessity. In fact, it is not surprising if you as an audience have a rock in your stomach. The film is very realistic and emotional. Especially if the culture is foreign to you, you can look with enormous hatred at Nisha’s father (Adil Hussain) and the culture he stands for. Of course you also know that as a father he wants the best for his daughter. And that he acts from his own beliefs and upbringing. All the questions that ‘What Will People Say’ leaves unsaid will run through your head and there can be a considerable discussion after seeing this film.

What makes ‘What Will People Say’ a strong piece of craftsmanship are the many silences and beautiful camera angles to fill those silences with beautiful looks. The script is not completely boarded up with text. This means that you as an audience can fill in some of the thoughts of the characters themselves. The slogan “less is more” is once again proven in this film. Yet the intentions and the plot are completely clear at all times.

‘What Will People Say’ is a very moving and realistic film. You feel the importance of the filmmaker and this gives the film an extra layer of urgency. For some viewers, this might be a bit heavy to watch for two hours. But it is certainly an important film to watch and to discuss all the questions and emotions it raises afterwards.