AFRIFF: The ambiguity of spirituality has always been a point of conversation in Kunle Afolayan’s films. One of his most popular films, The Figurine, places you in a conundrum at the end where you wonder where the influence of spiritual forces begins and where human wickedness continues. In Recall, this ambiguity has been bludgeoned into a straightforward—and boring—film.
Telling the story of Anita who loses the memory of the last ten years of her life—including her husband and children—and the search for a solution, Afolayan directs a lukewarm story that never leans into the more interesting complications of his earlier work. Recall is rife with extraneous scenes, awkward dialogue and a somewhat predictable ending. The film starts with a party for the tenth anniversary of Goke and Anita’s marriage, setting up the characters you will encounter in the film. Despite the many characters, the film still feels empty, with more focus placed on Goke’s mother who, unfortunately, is dead.
Recall isn’t helped by its acting which is alright at best and somewhat hilarious at worst. Sharon Ooja (Glamour Girls) is Anita in a way that is never enough. Where complications are required, she musters too many facial expressions, as if trying to choose in real time which one works. Olarotimi Fakunle (Gangs of Lagos)—not helped by the fake buck teeth—is a crying mess that makes do with the morsels of characterization he’s given. Yet, it is the veterans who shine brightest: Tina Mba (Breaded Life) is a mother whose worries sit on her face, Keppy Ekpenyong (The Weekend) is a father with a voice of reason, and Patience Ozokwor (SHE) is a scene stealer who delivers the highlight of the film.
The film is sleek in the way many new Nollywood films are but this never translates into a strong directorial language. It is well made in terms of production quality but what makes it Afolayan’s? His early work, though sometimes rough around the edges, delved into the complexities of the human psyche, questioning whether we shape our own destinies or if unseen forces bind us to a set path. This lack of character makes Recall often feel sterile and the two ads in the name of product placement do not help.
Sometimes the film hints at grappling with its ideas in interesting ways. How does one move on from a shared memory that the other person cannot recall, where does hope turn to delusion—as seen in the family pictures Goke kept hung up in the house—and how do you reconcile a parent’s love that has turned into a nightmare? Sadly, these are just hints that lead to no secrets.
Recall ends in a gender-swapped Sleeping Beauty situation that seems to tell us that love conquers all, even spiritual forces, but it doesn’t do enough to interest you in the history of this love and why we should root for it or the morality of its setup.
Recall premiered at the 2024 Africa International Film Festival.
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Side Musings
- That CGI butterfly was so bad and confusing because it could have been taken out and nothing would have changed.
- The scene where Goke was talking to his daughter’s teacher was at first intriguing and then immediately annoying because it felt like a vehicle to just announce the actress and did nothing for the story.
- The children were in a totally different film. You could tell that the direction was, “act like your life depends on it.”
- Keppy could have played her father without that obvious wig, please.
