Abu-Bakr S. Adamu, a member of the Alpha Flicks initiative, is a director of the mundane by evidence at hand. His film, Tsoro Da Ruwa, explores the extremities of youthful exuberance and the domestic consequences of such actions. What Abu-Bakr recognises is that there is a story, and there is jeopardy in the ordinary, in simple things like a parent punishing a child, like going for a swim and experiencing the joy of the now.
Tsoro Da Ruwa (Fear and Water) follows Ibrahim (Shuaibu Abubakar Sadiq), who, while grounded by his father, is enticed by his friends to go for a swim. His fear of the river overtakes him, but when one of his friends needs saving, he takes the plunge against his better judgment.
While the mundane angle the film explores is commendable, it lacks on the technical front. The sound is off, and the SFX is clearly amateurish. But oddly enough, these frailties seem to add to the overall mundane feel the film elicits. It is a film that, when you reflect upon it, slivers of your childhood emanate like flotilla on the horizon.
In an industry ridden with either comedy or severely serious arthouse films, Abu-Bakr displays an alternative narrative preoccupation. He understands the mundane and has embraced it. However, there is much room for development here, and the realisation of this filmmaker’s potential sorely relies on that. For now, like his protagonist, Abu-Bakr surfaces and must be celebrated. There is no fear in this water.
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