Daniel Oriahi’s Get-Out-esque, Tribeca returnee, The Weekend, is the latest Neo-Nollywood horror submission. Written by Egbemawei Dimiyei Sammy, Vanessa Kanu, and Freddie O. Anyaegbunam Jr., The Weekend explores the vagaries of familial relationships. Family sticks together no matter what. And in this horror-thriller, it leads to devastating consequences. The Weekend stars Uzoamaka Aniunoh (Nikya) opposite Bucci Franklin (Luke) as a dove-eyed, recently-engaged orphan longing for the warmth of her fiance’s family. Luke is estranged from his family, but he eventually caves under Nikya’s demands and additional pressure from home. And despite his initial reluctancy, everything seems normal at home. The…
Author: olamideadio
Read More
Who Dies Next? is an interesting horror film. A dead man lies outside a house surrounded by an evil entity. Inside the house, five characters are stuck and contemplate escape. The beauty of this short film isn’t in its minimal jump-scares but in its attempt at innovation. While it is commendable, the degree of success at executing it should be addressed. Directed by first-time filmmaker Nduka Ebube Dike, Who Dies Next? tows the line of films like Scary Movie (2000) and What We Do in the Shadows (2014) with its insistence on on-the-nose horror. The characters repeatedly remind the viewer…
Kenneth Gyang’s long-awaited Oloture: The Journey picks up where the original left off. Oloture (Sharon Ooja) is trapped in a bus with other exploited women and their traffickers. Oloture: The Journey is one of Kenneth Gyang’s few EbonyLife detours into mainstream submissions. While Gyang has huge artistic credibility as a Nollywood filmmaker, this mini series ranks low among his submissions. Oloture: The Journey follows the titular character into the illegal migratory routes to Europe. Bureaucratic complications arise in the underworld following Oloture and Beauty’s (Adebukola Oladipupo) escape attempt and Beauty’s eventual successful escape. Tony (Daniel Etim Effiong) and Alero (Omoni…
Mathew Adeboye’s short film, Endless, is a rumination on love. The film simultaneously reflects on both the perpetual and ephemeral nature of love. And most importantly, how we mollify ourselves with the former when the realities of the latter befall us. While the subject matter holds profundity, the narrative medium itself lacks the complexity to properly express its subject matter. Maureen Vincent and Femi Olawole star opposite each other as passionate lovers. They sit atop a mountain and express their love for each other poetically as they enjoy a vista. This scene intercuts with another, in a future where one…
Two strangers meet under fateful circumstances in A Tale of Two First Dates. One of them, Isabel (played by Sharon Rotimi), is a Ph.D student and soon-to-be divorcee, who interviews James (Sukanmi Olowu), a convicted felon. It is an encounter that permanently marks both their lives. A Tale of Two First Dates draws strength from its controlled setting. Its compact, narrative plot is the type that leaves room for the actors to push boundaries as performers. There is good intent behind this production, and the effort shows, both in the writing and the execution. But there is also the feeling…
Ebuka Njoku came onto the scene with his feature debut, Yahoo+, a social commentary film on the internet fraud ritualist phenomenon. It’s a film with an intriguing subject matter that faltered with execution. His latest film, Uno: The F in Family, a family drama about acceptance, forgiveness, and reconciliation, has similar pitfalls. Like Yahoo+, it has its strengths, but there is a sense that this film could have been more. Junior (Keezyto) has reluctantly returned home to his family in Enugu with his fiancee, Ruky (Temi Ojo), after leaving home ten years ago. His siblings, the petulant Gozie (DJ Capello)…
Japa (stylized as Japa!) is Isioma Osaje’s debut film. It simultaneously conveys every Nigerian’s most pressing desire and nightmare, which is to leave the country but be unable to. Produced by Inkblot and released directly to Prime Video, the film holds true to its promise. Japa arguably has the most intriguing premise from a Nigerian comedy released this year. But as with all fallible Nigerian films, Japa bears its marks of incompleteness. Mezu (Jide Kene Achufusi) has acquired a pass to the greener pastures of America. But he quickly realises that he is in a temporal loop, always waking on…
2>1 is a short film about infidelity and the extreme measures marital spouses can take to exact revenge. Adapted by Simi Hassan from Stefan Adamsson’s “The Offer”, and directed by Michael Owoyemi, the film leans into a sparse plot with a twist. The elements of execution too are sparse. This was an indie effort trying its best. Fola (Stella Ekwueme) has come to Olu (Simi Hassan), with whom she has an intimate but unspecified past. She is reporting her husband, Henry’s (Tiwa Adefolju) infidelity with her sister to him. She wants Olu to assassinate both of them. In a twist,…
In Water and Garri, Tiwa Savage finds her first lead role in the film industry. Written by Comfort Emmanuel and directed by Meji Alabi, Water and Garri was shot in Cape Coast, Ghana. The film is a throwback to her 2021 EP of the same title. And while Tiwa might have proven herself as a musician, the same cannot be said of her as an actress. Tiwa Savage plays Aisha, a successful fashion designer in America who returns home to Eastside after a family bereavement. Upon return, she finds that things have changed, and she must now face the grief…
Uyoyou Adia’s Anthill-produced film, Casa De Novia, is Nollywood’s latest attempt at mixing a random genre with comedy. The film stars Taye Arimoro and Anee Icha as its leading stars. As with other Nollywood films of its nature, events proceed as expected. It is a mixture of another genre with comedy—usually slapstick comedy. This is followed by a plot that could be a better film if paid with more respect and attention. And finally, a subpar execution, forcing the film to need a deus ex machina resolution. This has been the case with previous attempts like Dead Serious, Prophetess, etc.…