In the growing resurgence of Yoruba-language films exploring folklore, mysticism, and societal anxieties, Ẹkùn Iyawo: A Tale of a Runaway Bride, by Moses Ipadeola, arrives as a surreal and bold reinterpretation of a traditional rite. Supported by Film Lab Africa, a British Council Arts Program, the film reinvents the age-old Ẹkùn Iyawo, a ceremonial dirge recited by brides before marriage. Infusing it with dark spiritual undertones, generational conflict, and bodily autonomy struggles, it poses questions about tradition and modernity.
The story opens with agitation. Omolewa (Ugoh Amanda) wrings her hands in distress, asking her boyfriend David (Soledayo Adegbite) if he no longer loves her. David reassures her, and they embrace. But the unease lingers, subtly announcing that this is no ordinary love story. In the next scene, Balogun (Ropo Ewenla), the powerful man Omolewa is betrothed to, lies lifeless, his breath sustained by oxygen. A revered Babalawo (Peter Fatomilola) consults the oracle, speaking in rich, idiomatic language characteristic of Ifa worship. He warns against forcing a mystical potion, Ajidewe, meant to restore Balogun’s youth and vitality. But Balogun’s son, Niyi (Moshood Fattah), blinded by desperation and duty, is determined to defy the oracle’s caution. At the heart of this defiance lies Omolewa, her fate tied to decisions made by men seeking to control both her body and future.
The film impresses in how it reimagines the Ẹkùn Iyawo, a ritual performed by a bride in preparation for a wedding. Traditionally, a lively, poetic performance reflecting a bride’s joys, fears, and farewells before marriage, Ipadeola turns it into a thrilling, surreal lament. It speaks not just of marital apprehension but of a woman’s struggle against forces seeking to use her as a vessel for patriarchal and mystical ambitions. By doing so, the film subtly critiques the ways cultural rites can be co-opted for the darker, oppressive tools.
Despite its brilliance, Ẹkùn Iyawo falters in some important scenes. These scenarios defeat believability, undermining the film’s otherwise immersive world. In a pivotal scene where Balogun’s henchmen fiercely demand Omolewa to shed tears, he shoots one of her companions, yet the old women pounding herbs in the background remain unflinching, as though the violence is a sight to behold. A more plausible reaction, fleeing in panic or recoiling in shock, would have preserved the scene’s tension. Similarly, when David and Omolewa escape along a dusty path, he inexplicably discards his masquerade gear by the roadside, leaving a trail that could easily give them away. A character so desperate to flee would be more cautious. This oversight weakens the logic of the escape sequence.
Nonetheless, Ẹkùn Iyawo is an ambitious short film that speaks to Ipadeola’s growing promise as a storyteller unafraid to reinterpret tradition. Its themes of bodily autonomy, generational conflict, and the weaponisation of cultural rites create a conversation about modern Yoruba identity and the ongoing negotiation between the sacred and the secular.
Ekun Iyawo screened at NollywoodWeek (NOW) Film Festival 2025.
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