Nollywood actress, Toyin Abraham plays the lead role in the Prophetess. This new flick, just like many others from the industry, doesn’t necessarily follow a specific plot. It seemingly comes out as a comedy-drama targeted at a specific audience, perhaps, Toyin Abraham fans.
The Niyi Akinmolayan-directed movie is fastidious about the elements of deceit and false beliefs, especially as the bedrock for survival in the Nigerian trenches. We are already familiar with these intricacies as typical Nigerians. However, the movie makes light of this situation for entertainment purposes.
Nollywood movie, Prophetess trailer. Credit: YouTube
The plot revolves around Toyin Abraham, who plays the role of Ajoke Olootu, and her two interpreters, who also double as her partners in crime. She randomly predicts Arsenal winning against Real Madrid, and her prediction is correct merely out of luck. As fate seems to favour her, she also predicts Teena as the winner of BBN and this brings her even more fame. However, this winning streak is being noted and recorded on Kunle Remi’s (Dipo) live video that goes viral after they become a reality. The unfolding of events builds on this coincidence, uncovering the exploitative nature of confidence tricksters, some clothed in religious garb.
In as much as this movie presents vices, it is a lampoon of Nigerian society for the sake of laughs. Objectively, it should have been more satirical with the aim of driving change as the movie falls short of expectations since it’s on Netflix, the global streaming platform.
The betting company begins to thrive as well as fail as a result of the controversial predictions. And the gullible populace continues to patronise Ajoke Olootu and her gang for predictions, which are basically hinged on falsehood.
However, this hilarious movie must be hailed for its comedic effects, although it’s difficult to completely savour the funny moments knowing fully well that there’s no story. Just like modern English Drama with just words and displaced series of events. The movie further lights up the tussle between the church and betting companies who are now at loggerheads to undo her predictions, even as the prophetess continues to gain followers and exploits their ignorance.
Importantly, Prophetess aptly mirrors the present realities of the Nigerian streets where the youth’s craving for betting, a superfluous activity, thrives at the expense of hard work, further entrenching the get-rich-quick, or pie-in-the-sky syndrome. It also portrays the greed of the betting companies, which feed from the vulnerability and economic woes of the youth, thereby riding on the ignorance of the gullible to earn a living, as in the case of the prophetess.
Also, social media with its many gains still present very unrealistic situations as beautiful. Anyone can blow from cheap content, even for the wrong content. This is often the case as social media and its users actively promote lies and deceitful behaviour.
We cannot help but notice the quagmire nature of religion in Nigerian society. The ills of false religion cannot be over-emphasised. The debilitation of values is fueled by false religion. This movie strongly exposes the intricacies of false religion as an avenue for romanticising vices and verisimilitude to real-life events.
Clara Gaiya, an entrepreneur, writes from 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.
