Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman has been a staple of literature classes all over the country. Its rich depiction of Yoruba history has been loved by students and lovers of literature. Elesin Oba is a history/adventure/drama screenplay inspired by true life events that occurred in the Oyo Empire in the 1940s, it is also an adaptation of the 1975 award winning play.
The Biyi Bandele-directed screenplay depicts true life events, in the 1940s Oyo Empire, Elesin Oba aka the king’s chief horseman, falls prey to charm, beauty and sexual desire on the evening he is set to perform his ritual-suicide in order to fulfil his lifelong debt of accompanying the dead Alaafin to the realm of the ancestors.
He appears to have lost focus from a very important generational and spiritual tradition. This inevitably sets in motion a series of unforeseeable unfortunate happenings in a spell-binding rollercoaster of emotions, laughter, and heart-breaking role reversals that put ancient traditions, beliefs and customs on test in an increasingly modern-day, western world.
The star-studded cast did an amazing job at executing a well-acted movie that somehow felt like a stage-play but it surprisingly works engagingly well. Shaffy Bello particularly stood out in her role; she embodied her role like a natural. Odunlade Adekola did a good job as well; he played his part in the movie impressively.
Cinematography in this screenplay is on a 10/10 level. Crisp-clear beautiful pictures, tremendous sound, the right camera angles and shots for each scene. Kudos to the camera crew on doing a commendable job.
Aesthetics! Aesthetics!! Aesthetics!!! The director was clearly big on appearances and it is oh-so smooth and pleasing to the eyes from the simple yet beautiful costumes to the props, it was all outstanding. The decision to set majority of the action in the marketplace is an incredibly brilliant decision; it keeps the pace uniform, makes the action a smooth watch and ultimately dazzles visually.
Notably, the lack of background music adds a deeper sense of surrealism to the movie. It has a shockingly calming feel not hearing unnecessary sounds in scenes that should naturally be silent. Especially since the story itself needs very little extra work done. One can’t help but be impressed at the mind of Biyi Bandele and mourn his passing even more.
Lastly, this screenplay is an immersive experience, in all the good ways. It takes you on an adventure, a creatively insightful adventure that is an escape to another dimension.
Elesin Oba might be lacking in that one has to absolutely be a fan of Soyinka and his works to fully enjoy the movie to max because the movie stays religiously close to the play. But that isn’t a flaw worth dwelling on.
There was also a slightly noticeable change in the pacing of the film as some viewers might think it is quite slow. A lot of Yoruba incantations are used and it might start to feel repetitive. Then, there is the constant reminder of Elesin’s roles and duties and the Elesin’s constant complaints of being a disgrace. Hearing it over and over in different words becomes a little bit of a bore along the line.
Elesin Oba may have some minor flaws but those flaws do not make it any less of a great movie. After all, nothing can be completely perfect, right?
It is the best Nollywood flick of 2022 and definitely in the top three Nollywood films of the decade. It heralds an amazing future for book adaptations that production houses have in store. Check it out today on Netflix. It is a must watch.
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.
