Sanam Saeed, who plays Zara in the 2018 Pakistani film Cake, describes “the movie, like a cake, [is] made of many layers. It looks one way from the outside and is different inside once you cut a slice” (2018). Which I feel is the perfect analogy to sum up the film. From the outside, it seems as if it will be a movie about an estranged family coming together during a time of need. But as the film progress, layers of Pakistani culture are ultimately broken, creating a film that empowers women and breaks free of toxic masculinity. And oddly, it was a film I related to, to a certain extent.

Looking into the importance of family in Pakistan, it forms the foundations of society, with families traditionally remaining close to each other and relying on relatives for financial and social support (SBS 2020). Families tend to be patriarchal and…