Slackistan

The belief that one’s life inherently makes for interesting viewing has resulted in countless self-indulgent films – but few of them this dull. First-timer Shahbaz Singri is Hasan, a character informed by the writer-director’s experience as a wealthy, directionless graduate in Islamabad. Accompanied by his equally privileged Yankophile chums, Hasan mooches around bars and coffee houses, lusting after women and wishing he could get his life together.

‘Slackistan’ desperately wants to be the Pakistani answer to ‘Slacker’, ‘Swingers’ or even ‘Mean Streets’: a freewheeling tale of friendship and self-discovery. But the production values are so low, the acting so poor and the script so lacking in self-awareness that it comes across as whiny and aimless. If nothing else, it’s interesting to know that preppy douchebags are just as obnoxious and self-involved wherever in the world you go.