⭐ Critic’s pick C.J. ‘Fiery’ Obasi’s Mami Wata is a visually striking film. It deploys chiaroscuro with incredible balance. With each scene, the film challenges itself on how far it can push its monochromatic boundaries. It is a worthy vehicle for its story about a secluded community’s dilemma of abandoning their ancient goddess and accepting modernity or holding on to their faith in her. Complicating this conundrum are the personal conflicts ravaging the small family of the priestess, Mama Efe (Rita Edochie), and her two daughters, Zinwe (Uzuoamaka Aniuonoh) and Prisca (Evelyn Ily). With Mami Wata, Obasi presents a new…
Author: olamideadio
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Jagun Jagun is an ambitious epic film. It opens with an expanse of visual power and a sense of invincibility. Pay attention to the chilling low-angle shot the film introduces Ogundiji (Femi Adebayo). Savour the badass slow-motion as he tosses innards away into a sacrificial pool. Be impressed by the scene he confronts Jigan (Odunlade Adekola) and declares his power. It is a scintillating sequence that sets the tone of the film. But it is not original. ‘Jagun Jagun (The Warrior)’ Review: Lateef Adedimeji is Our Champion in Typical Yoruba Epic Jagun Jagun’s plot, cast, and crew are interchangeable with…
On October 20, 2020, many Police brutality protesters waited defiantly against Government orders at the Lekki Toll Gate. Within hours, a handful of them were gunned down. A few weeks prior, a young man had been killed at a Police checkpoint in Delta. His death was public, surreptitiously recorded, and distributed throughout Nigerian social media circles. These are two examples known only because of how public the incidents were. Like a looming iceberg at sea, there are layers of police violence and checkpoint brutality that are hidden away within the darkness of the Nigerian police force. ‘ETI’DO’ Review: On Cinema’s…
Art, the cliche goes, imitates life. A friend, H, sat by the window in a Lagos Danfo. She was enduring the infamous Lagos go-slow. Her head nestled on the glass, and she held her phone to her ear as she received a call. Some hours later, she was on another call, this time with me, lamenting. Someone had stuck a hand into the Danfo window and snatched H’s iPhone. She brought her head out to see who it was but saw no one. It was as if a spirit had committed the crime. When Jade Osiberu’s Gangs of Lagos opened,…
According to SBM, there have been 391 mob killings in Nigeria since 2019. In May 2022, a young lady, Deborah Yakubu, was stoned to death and then immolated in Northern Nigeria. And as recently as 2023, Sima Essien, an undergraduate of the University of Nsukka, almost lost his life to a mob for a falsely accused crime. Two suspects were arrested in May after Deborah Yakubu’s murder in Sokoto, but they have still not been brought to trial, and the police have said the main culprits are still at large. A police van drove by while Sima Essien was being…
Let us begin with this: You don’t need to have read Aristotle’s “Poetics”, have a thorough knowledge of Soyinka’s Fourth Stage theorem, or be an expert at Dramatic Theory and Criticism to understand and enjoy Ẹlẹṣin Ọba: The King’s Horseman, the film adaptation of Wole Soyinka’s play, “Death and the King’s Horseman”. And I tell you this as a theatre graduate who has read the play, Aristotle’s “Poetics”, Soyinka’s Fourth Stage, and has acted in a performance of the play—a minor, best-forgotten role. You most certainly don’t need an impeccable IQ; it’s a film, not astrophysics. ‘Anikulapo’ Review: Kunle Afolayan…
To properly question the new edict on Nollywood by the Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, we must answer an important question: is art a reflection of society or an influence on it? It is an interesting question because the answer can fall either way—think “which comes before, the chicken or the egg?” question. Just like that glib chicken and egg riddle, there is an obvious answer to our art question here. It is a question of survival; can art exist without society? No. The purpose of art has never been to instruct society, but to reflect shades…
What strikes one at the start of Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy is the brutal intimacy it affords. You get the sense—very early—that a truth is about to be revealed. Not insistently about the artist, but something more generic, a basic, fundamental human truth. So, we open in the early 2000s with Coodie Simmons, a young director from Chicago who has found himself amongst exciting talents. One of them is a vibrant, charismatic kid named Kanye West who, at the time, was one of the best music producers in the industry. But Coodie sees that there is something more to the…
Anyone familiar with the “Uncharted” video game series developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation would have been hyped up for the movie adaptation, Uncharted. It stars Mark Wahlberg as Victor Sullivan, the crook; Tom Holland (Spider-Man) as Nathan Drake, the protagonist; while Sam Drake, Nathan’s brother, is portrayed by Rudy Pankov. While the intelligent, sometimes blood-pumping video games have attained a cult status among gamers, it is highly unlikely that the movie will get anywhere near that pedigree. The Uncharted movie is lively and fast-paced and even excellent in some moments, but it is not genuine in any way.…
Once again, the love bells ring. It is the time of great romantic testimonies for lovers and the enablement of those by our internet-driven relationships; the uncountable valentine packages; and the doe-eyed meetings of lovers-to-be. However, there are those who shan’t have the privilege of doubling up with a partner and also those who do have a partner and simply want to see a love story happen with them, quietly at home. There is a film for everyone. Why is this list special? It is entirely homemade. These are films about lovers in Nigerian contexts, and, primarily, films about the…