Part slow-burn supernatural thriller and part indictment of how women are (mis)treated in patriarchal culture, Zarrar Kahn's feature debut In Flames is an intriguing exercise in genre convention-as-social vehicle, a role that horror and science fiction have long played. Kahn doesn't reinvent the wheel or do anything particularly novel here, but what he does he does very well (the editing and sound design are particularly notable). And, for viewers not familiar with Kahn's native Pakistan (although he now lives and operates out of Canada), there is much insight into long-standing cultural traditions that elevate one gender and oppress the other.