Kayode Kasum’s Ajosepo is a romantic comedy set around family drama. It tests the boundaries of old relationships and sets the foundations for new ones. At its heart is reunion and reconciliation and the knowledge that there are multiple perspectives to the same story. 

Dapo (Mike Afolarin) and Tani (Tomike Adeoye) are set to be married. Their families assemble a day before the wedding, and the drama unfolds in Tani’s family house. Dapo’s family is a dysfunctional, toxic unit best characterised by his manipulative mom (Ronke Oshodi Oke). His dad (Yemi Solade) is a philanderer. His brother, Jide (Timini Egbunson), barely holds conversations with Dapo. It is a mess trying to get them all in a room. 

At the family house, Dapo’s father encounters an old fling (Bisola Aiyeola), now married to Tani’s uncle. They get together one last time and, while at it, are hit by the deadly magun (traditional charm to curb promiscuity). They are stuck together. To unravel them, both families realise they must unravel their differences too.

For the most part, Ajosepo understands that it is a film primarily about marriage. It explores the emotional responsibilities necessary for a happy one and the consequences when those responsibilities aren’t upheld. The film provides ample evidence for both examples, as with Dapo’s parents’ marriage and his yet-to-happen marriage. 

There are some quietly good performances, like Timini’s, although one senses he could have done better if his monologues were shorter. Ronke Oshodi Oke brings the seasoned chutzpah only a Yoruba groom’s mother will carry. And Yemi Solade’s suaveness of old is reawakened, although I suspect nostalgia dictates how I feel about his performance. The acting across the board is decent because the actors are familiar with the roles. There are a number of obvious improvisations with the older actors, some distasteful. But the film, as with most Nollywood comedies, could do with less noise. 

At the risk of nitpicking, Ajosepo feels like it’s one emotional arc lesser than needed. Dapo’s parents never truly, as a unit, confront their failed marriage and the consequences on their sons. We piece the tattered failure of their marriage through their sons’ perspectives. Theirs is the second most important marriage in the film, and it probably deserves more attention than it’s given. 

For a film with such slow pacing in the first part, Ajosepo had enough time to unpack that marriage properly. Beyond that, it misses its way tonally for a short period after Dapo’s dad gets stuck with his fling. It tries to take an ominous tone and maybe ask some cogent social questions about magun, but it doesn’t follow that trail. It settles into the industry familiar. Everything ends, and we have our Nollywood wedding party. A decent Kasum submission. 

Ajosepo premiered on April 10 in cinemas.

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Side Musings

• Kayode Kasum tries to pull a lot of nostalgia strings with its casting, even with cameos like Mr. Latin, K1 De Ultimate, and Ayuba.
• There is that Lagos bridge we have never seen in any Nollywood film in this one too.