One of the top recommendations this week on CinemAddicts is In Flames, a critically acclaimed psychological thriller from filmmaker Zarrar Kahn. During the interview, Kahn talked about his screenwriting approach and how In Flames became Pakistan’s official Oscar submission for Best International Film.
In Flames centers on how a mother (Bakhtawar Mazhar) and daughter (Ramesha Nawal) in Pakistan struggle to survive after the passing of the family patriarch. Living in an environment where men are often their problem, the mother and daughter do their best to overcome these obstacles.
Filmmaker Zarrar Kahn says that his film is speaking to resistance, survival and resilience. Along with immersing viewers into the family drama, the picture also has a thriller element. “”Pakistan is deeply religious,” said Kahn who is a ‘sucker’ for genre cinema. “Most religious societies are superstitious. These characters, the way they view the world, is through the lens of the supernatural walking with them. It’s how they frame both the joys as well as the horrors that they experience from a greater power.”
Kahn described his initial draft of In Flames as “pretty bad,” and he decided to do a page one rewrite. “Once we had our second draft, that was basically our shooting script,” said Kahn. “And then I’ll often workshop dialogue more through reads with the cast, then (I) keep stripping it down to what’s the truest version of it. When we’re on set, there’s not a ton of space of improvisation.”
***CinemAddicts co-hosts Eric Holmes and Bruce Purkey review In Flames on episode 237 (starting at 32:12):
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