‘Barzakh’ review: A bold, visually rich but unwieldly fable of love and loss

Jafar Khanzada is 76, has outlived two wives and is all set to take a third. She is 16. She was the first – and the only – woman he ever truly loved. She is a ghost.

Such occult ambition is unsurprising in the mountainous region known as “Land of Nowhere”. Here, characters have names out of One Thousand and One Nights, the undead walk among the living, and a woman declares, “Only the things that die are real.”

Asim Abbasi’s Barzakh has every intention to enchant. Barzakh (Limboland) has an unusual premise inspired by folklore, eye-watering locations in Hunza Valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, and attractive actors, including Sanam Saeed and Fawad A Khan. (There’s a second Fawad Khan too in the cast).

Abbasi and cinematographer Mo Azmi thrown in psychedelic imagery as well as seamless transitions between the waking state and the dream world. Land of Nowhere is a holding place for emotionally stunted men, women and children. Everywhere they turn, there is a spirit or two from their troubled past, reminding them of crushed dreams or lingering regrets.

Two episodes of the new show from the Pakistani director of the wonderful film Cake (2018) and the gripping series Churails are out on ZEE5. The remaining four episodes will be released every Tuesday and Friday at 8pm.

The series kicks off with a...

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