Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
Director
Sudabeh Mortezai
Cast
Anwulika Alphonsus,
Mariam Precious Sanusi,
Angela Ekeleme,
Gift Igweh,
Sandra John
Genre
Drama
Joy, a young Nigerian woman living in Vienna, performs sex work in order to not only pay off her outstanding debts, but to support her extended family living in Nigeria and her young daughter. When Joy is instructed to coach Precious, a reluctant, teenage Nigerian girl, in the ways of the trade, she is confronted by the fact that she could be caught in the vicious cycle of sex trafficking.
Screen Daily by Nikki Baughan
Centred around two exceptional performances, and taking an intimate, documentary-like approach to the drama, Joy effectively explores the devastating traps of abuse and extortion without ever becoming exploitative itself.
Variety by Guy Lodge
If all the performances here feel lived-in, it’s because they’re literally just that — but even within that context, Alphonsus is an electric find, silently signaling Joy’s clashing moral impulses with a complexity that would defeat many a professional.
Los Angeles Times by Robert Abele
Both riveting character study and experiential glimpse at the Africa-to-Europe sex slave trade, Austrian-Iranian filmmaker Sudabeh Mortezai’s “Joy” builds its reservoir of sadness with pulsing efficiency.
The Playlist by Chris Barsanti
In its refusal to bend to unrealistic notions of escape, Joy is a bravely dark movie.
The New York Times by Ben Kenigsberg
Matching content with form, the movie is tight and merciless, even if parts play like a tract.
Loading recommendations...
Loading recommendations...