Joy

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Joy

2018

1h 39m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

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14 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

A young Nigerian woman becomes caught in a vicious cycle of sex trafficking.

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Ben Kenigsberg

New York Times

Matching content with form, the movie is tight and merciless, even if parts play like a tract.

May 31, 2019

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Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

Austrian-Iranian filmmaker Sudabeh Mortezai's "Joy" builds its reservoir of sadness with pulsing efficiency.

May 24, 2019

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Joanne Laurier

World Socialist Web Site

Joy’s cast and crew were clearly committed to exposing a vicious form of exploitation and the social conditions that underpin it.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 16, 2022

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Matt Cipolla

Film Monthly

Mortezai doesn't pretend to know the answers to these issues; she just asks us to acknowledge them. After all, it's the least we can do.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 25, 2020

Full Review

Katie Hogan

VultureHound

By the end of the film you're left with an uncomfortable empty feeling that there is no hope and the cycle continues, which is bleak indeed but just shows devastating the subject of the film is.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 3, 2020

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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

A grim portrait of migrant Nigerian prostitutes exploited in Austria.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 18, 2019

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Audience Member

I'm not sure if documentary-like storytelling improves the movie, but what I am sure of is that thanks to committed acting and good inentions ¨Joy¨ is worth the watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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patrick a

Raw and real. An excellent piece of story telling that does not try to play up to feel good notions instead it draws you into its world depicting lived through experiences.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

nefasto r

Powerful and honest look into the sex traffic world. We definitely learn a thing or two, and we will definitely ask ourselves why all this is still possible... but the film is more of a documentary than an entertainer.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Sudabeh Mortezai

Director

Anwulika Alphonsus

Joy

Mariam Sanusi

Precious

Angela Ekeleme

Madame

Sudabeh Mortezai

Screenwriter

Sabine Moser

Producer

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Synopsis

A young Nigerian woman becomes caught in a vicious cycle of sex trafficking.

Director: Sudabeh Mortezai
Producer: Sabine Moser, Oliver Neumann
Screenwriter: Sudabeh Mortezai
Production Co: FreibeuterFilm
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 24, 2019
Runtime: 1h 39m

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