Kunle Afolayan is one director who consistently pushes the envelope in Nollywood. As he is wont to do, the award-winning director hits viewers’ screens with the awe-inspiring Aníkúlapó, a one of a kind folklore starring Bimbo Ademoye, Sola Sobowale and Kunle Remi.
Anikulapo follows the mythical story of Saro, a man seeking greener pastures in the kingdom of Oyo Ile. As events unfold, his affair with the Alaafin’s wife leads to his untimely death. Fortunately, he is thrown a second chance at life with the help of his lover, Arolake. The question is, will he use the opportunity wisely? Or will he be overpowered by greed?
It’s clear Kunle Afolayan took his time to showcase Yoruba culture in its full glory, from the festivals to the attire, the language and the general sights and sounds, it is all glorious to view on screen. A lot of attention is paid to the cinematography, the shots, lighting, backgrounds, props and set up. It’s quite clear time was dedicated to even the tiniest details and it’s undeniably commendable.
Lest I forget, it is admirable the way the plot transcends, the storyline continues to intensify all through the movie and not in a predictable way, not even in the slightest bit. It is also noteworthy how the numerous subplots and the plot gel together like a well-oiled machine.
One of the major attributes that pull the movie into one big beautiful piece is the cast; the actors pulled off their role exceptionally. Bimbo Ademoye is known for how much of a good actress she is; her role as Arolake is surely no exception. She steals the show and dazzled with her emotive delivery. On the other hand, Kunle Remi as Saro is flawless on screen, watching his character grow is immersing, he did a good job at embodying every phase of his character’s growth. Although each character is quite good, other notable characters in this screenplay are Sola Sobowale as Awarun and the silent King of Ojumo (because of the air of mystery his silence comes with).
The props, costumes, makeup and hairstyles in this screenplay are top-tier and a stunning masterpiece to watch. It isn’t much of a shock as Kunle Afolayan is known to go all in but that does not make it less of a beauty to behold on screen.
Although Aníkúlapó is a great movie, viewers did notice some grey areas, one of which is the mystery that is left with the mystical bird Akalo. The viewers only got to understand the bird has the ability to grant second chances at life, other than that, they are left with a few question marks. The SFX for the bird also felt a bit unfinished, making the bird look like something belonging to steam-punk than a Yoruba epic.
At two hours twenty-two minutes, some argue that the screenplay could have worked better if it were a little shorter, it seemed to have gone on a tad longer than it should have. The middle point of the film appeared lacklustre, the story felt a bit thin and only picked up the pace towards the last 30 minutes.
That being said, this is one of the best movies from Nollywood this year. It scores high marks in almost every area. This glimpse into a Nigerian folklore-fantasy is an interesting watch. It’ll have viewers hooked from start to finish. Check it out today on Netflix.
Didi Dan-Asisah is an art enthusiast and critic. She lives in Lagos.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
