What Will People Say

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What Will People Say

2018

1h 46m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Sixteen-year-old Nisha lives a double life. When out with her friends, she's a regular Norwegian teenager. At home with her family, she is the perfect Pakistani daughter. When her father catches her alone with her boyfriend, Nisha's two worlds brutally collide. To set an example and escape the judgment of their peers, Nisha's parents send her to live with her extended family in a small town in Pakistan. There, Nisha must adapt to a rigid culture that denies her the freedoms she once enjoyed.

Critics Consensus

What Will People Say? argues that institutional sexism starts at home -- and the results can be as powerful as they are difficult to watch.

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Peter Rainer

Christian Science Monitor

Aug 10, 2018

A-

A real-life terror trip but with human ghouls and goblins.

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Justin Chang

Los Angeles Times

Aug 2, 2018

The movie becomes something more than just another tale of cross-cultural, cross-generational misunderstanding: a harrowing drama of emotional abuse.

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April Wolfe

Village Voice

Jul 14, 2018

The quiet psychological terror and the simple, blunt manner in which it was shown stole my breath.

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Gisela Savdie

El Heraldo

Sep 19, 2020

There's no way out for these immigrant women, even after living in a western society [Full Review in Spanish]

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Jorge Ignacio Castillo

The Canadian Crew

Jan 28, 2020

4/5

Regardless of the number of setbacks Nisha must face, What Will People Say never feels like misery porn. In fact, it's gripping.

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Catherine Capellaro

Isthmus (Madison, WI)

Nov 22, 2019

What Will People Say provides surprising moments of tenderness amid heart-pounding drama.

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Rony K

@RT89534484 Feb 21, 2025

Made be depressed for a bit but highly recommend it. I feel like the ending should've been more clear like there's no guarantee Nisha didn't come back home the next day.

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nefasto r

@Nefasto Apr 14, 2020

Slow and not very coherent. The more terrible things happen to the protagonist, the less I cared, so something in the formula definitely did not work for me.

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Aug 20, 2019

Chillingly accurate about growing up in a conservative brown family. Ending felt too open-ended, but the performances and story were great!

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Aug 16, 2019

I had the feeling that something was missing. Perhaps the story needed more time to unfold properly.

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Feb 5, 2019

Great sensitive movie about women lack of rights in Pakistan, and carry over to migrated countries.

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Dec 21, 2018

It's hard to watch this movie. But great film, full of emotions. Left me crying.

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Iram Haq

Director

Maria Mozhdah

Nisha

Adil Hussain

Mirza

Ekavali Khanna

Mother Najma

Rohit Saraf

Amir

Ali Arfan

Asif

I Am Yours

100%

50%

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Gritt

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Gritt

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67%

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Disco

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3 Faces

98%

69%

3 Faces

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What Will People Say: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Sixteen-year-old Nisha lives a double life. When out with her friends, she's a regular Norwegian teenager. At home with her family, she is the perfect Pakistani daughter. When her father catches her alone with her boyfriend, Nisha's two worlds brutally collide. To set an example and escape the judgment of their peers, Nisha's parents send her to live with her extended family in a small town in Pakistan. There, Nisha must adapt to a rigid culture that denies her the freedoms she once enjoyed.

Director: Iram Haq
Producer: Maria Ekerhovd
Screenwriter: Iram Haq
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: Mer Film, Zentropa International Sweden, Rohfilm Factory GmbH
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Norwegian
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 13, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 9, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $40.6K
Runtime: 1h 46m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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