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ANIKULAPO
ANIKULAPO.
When we compare to the last few Nigerian movie releases on Netflix, this film is a much better watch. Though a simple story, with a plot break, It will entertain you nonetheless.
In the beginning, we get a back story, one that tells that, In ancient tines, specific to the old Yoruba land; that, when people die, they weren’t buried by digging up six feet In to the ground to place them, Instead, they were left In the enchanted forest, with hopes that the forest will determine If they were to live or die actually.
Oh, but one of the two will happen.
This Is the latest Nigerian language period piece drama flick, released on Netflix on the 30th of September,.2022.
The movie was produced and directed by Kunle Afolayan. It tells a beautiful story through the eyes of culture and tradition.
It was set In the pre-colonial era as far back as the 17th century of the Old Oyo Empire, where it followed the life of a man named Saro.
The cast of the film includes Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Sola Sobowale, Kunle Remi, Bimbo Ademoye, Taiwo Hassan, Faithia Balogun, Adebayo Salami, Kareem Adepoju, Moji Olayiwola and Aisha Lawal.
It went In the whole nine yards and invited for cast, several more faces of the old time Yoruba movie industry In Nigeria. The presence of so many old time Yoruba movie actors was whelming and somehow nostalgic, great to see, I have to admit.
It was a story of a Business traveller named Saro, who found his way In to the old Oyo kingdom, In search of greener pastures. In Oyo, he found favour and things began to change for good.
Unfortunately, he also found love In a forbidden place, first he craved the abominable, and eventually got caught in the web of lust.
His illicit affair with the king’s youngest
wife, Arolake led to his untimely death and encounter with the Ęyę Akala, a mystical bird believed in then days of old Yoruba culture, to give and take life.
The movie started off with a badly beaten, dead man lying in the middle of the forest, one eye plucked out or maybe swollen, while the other was definitely swollen and blood shot. Suddenly, a big black bird, with blazing fiery furnace eyes and a black mysterious smoke around it, landed and made the man come back to life.
He then asked the resurrected man, what caused his untimely death, as this took us back to the past.
The flash back here was Saro telling us the cause of his lynching death story. It showed us where Saro had just arrived at the old Oyo kingdom, the village, with no money or place to live.
The people In the village were warm and kind to him, they gave him food, shelter and even work to make a living. Saro himself was a skilled Aso Ofi weaver and he was assisted by a wealthy woman chief, who took a liking to him and not just the Platonic, where he started the business of making the Aso Ofi.
Right from the start, Saro got warnings, various warnings. This was from more than two people, they told him not to bite more than he could chew.
But then human greed is quite vicious, and It wouldn’t listen until It takes you down low, to rock bottom, and It only leaves you on your death bed.
This was what pushed him ultimately Into trouble where he had an affair with the King’s youngest and favourite wife and It landed him In the hands of death.
But then, this movie Is not your typical romantic movie, which would end here, where justice was said to have been served for betraying the king of the land.
Because, this death point In the forest, was when the almighty Ęyę Akala (the said life and death giver bird) came In and resurrected the man.
The real mystery here was if the bird really wanted him to live or leave him as dead, or it was just Saro’s lucky charm 'Arolake' that got him out of death’s grip.
Here on was when they showed us that Arolake did not allow the mysterious Bird to put Saro back to sleep as she somehow shooed it away with a startle.
A neat trick, I must say.
Whatever might be the case, everything In life depends on our actions and Inactions and even as Saro came back to life, he had to live with the consequences of his past and future actions.
The story also depicted Saro/Anikulapo (played by Kunle Remi) as physically enticing, suave and flirtatious. His character was interesting though; a proper crush-inviting Casanova who can stick his device into anything available.
He was already blessed with two benevolent lovers, yet his loins were always on fire.
He took the kings last wife, somehow became the crush of a princess and impregnated his wife's househelp who he later married into his household, where they showed us that It somehow became three wives.
The actress who played Queen Arolake did a good job in portraying her character, from the beginimg of the movie to the end of It. She also showed how women sacrifice everything for love and live with the painful consequences.
Arolake (played by Bimbo Ademoye) endured these betrayals until Saro somehow revealed the secrets of her barrenness and who she was, actually, to the junior wives. This could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
I mean, yet she stayed, after all of these, he hit her, yet she stayed.
He should have been wary and more cautious, as she was the only one of his wives, who came with him from nothing and gave him what made them something.
Instead, Saro got so prideful and greedy that he told the king of Ojumo land to pay him with his only daughter, for the task of waking up his only son, who had given up the ghost, after a brief fever.
Somehow, It Is the law of life, you can’t offend a woman who sacrificed everything for you and also relinquished her shot at being wealthy to you, being the man In her life and expect to go scot-free.
Arolake gave him a reprieve from outright extinct, then gifted him a charm that resurrects the dead, any dead, and loved him with all her heart.
This resurrecting charm she gave him brought them wealth, fame and riches all over the village and across the neighbouring lands.
Yet, the betrayals soon followed.
While I found the character of Saro to have shown again and again how stupid some men get when they start to acquire wealth. His character also depicted some men’s self-destructive indiscretion and short time memory, It showed how quickly men forget absolute loyalty and don't care how much they hurt the selfless women in their lives once they have all the means and power.
I repeat again, It was a good movie with great cast.
The traditional Oyo kingdom setting was awesome, I got that kattgat, Vikings setting feeling with the gatetower watch House at the edge of the Oyo kingdom.
The cinematography was top-notch too.
However, If It wasn't a true life story; breaking the flow was a buzz kill. The plot was broken into a film of two halves.
Immediately Saro and Arolake eloped from Oyo Kingdom, everything about Oyo Ile ended in the movie. They didn't show us anything about the people of Ojumo village getting to know the true identities of the duo, If ever.
The sex scenes however, represents a bold barrier-breaker for movies having traditional Yoruba setting.
I must say that I have never seen people wearing the traditional Aso Ofi playing such a graphic and Intense love making scene in any movie before I saw Anikulapo.
The scenes depicting pottery are quite Iconic and It brilliantly represents a major craft in the old Oyo kingdom.
I must also submit a register of great energy from all the actors and extras in the movie scenes.
What we shouldn't discard In the movie is the fact that Saro died twice. Connect the dots from the narration of Ifayemi Elebuibon at the very beginning when he rendered the mystery of the Akala bird.
Anikulapo Is a story of power, envy, love, lust, luck, betrayal, pride, sacrifice, selflessness, death, resurrection, karma and the greedy desires of men.
The creators of the movie could have told more about the significance of the mysterious big black bird and used it more in the film, maybe show us where It woke up a few more deserving individuals.
It definitely showcases the beauty of the African culture, especially that of the Yoruba people of the Southwest, the western part of Nigeria.
The name It self, Anikulapo means one who holds death In his pocket. This ought to bring luck or doom, depending upon what you decide to do with your life and the opportunities It presents you.
Culturally and aesthetically, It was a beautiful film which introduces the global audience to the Yoruba culture of the Country Nigeria.
On the whole though, I will have to submit that Anikulapo is one movie worth watching more than one time.
Honourable mention:
I found out that, one of the daughters of the late King, His Imperial Majesty Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, acted in the movie?
She was Princess Adedoja Adeyemi,who apparently won Miss Oyo State Beauty Pageant in the Year 2020.
She was Princess Ajoke, of Ojumo village, the pretty princess that Anikulapo insisted on marrying (of course, to the utter disgust of the somehow oath sworn mute King of Ojumo) before agreeing to the king's request of resurrecting the Prince, 'Aremo of Ojumo'.
Princess ‘Adedoja did render a moving mourning song as her only vocal contribution to the movie.
The movie had a run time of about 2 hours and 22 minutes. The story is said to have been written and Inspired by the name; Ifayemi Elebuibon.
©Ibadi'aran Omo Akinde
#moviereveiws
#ratedmustwatch
#anikulapo
#topnotchs
#yorubamovies
© All Rights Reserved
When we compare to the last few Nigerian movie releases on Netflix, this film is a much better watch. Though a simple story, with a plot break, It will entertain you nonetheless.
In the beginning, we get a back story, one that tells that, In ancient tines, specific to the old Yoruba land; that, when people die, they weren’t buried by digging up six feet In to the ground to place them, Instead, they were left In the enchanted forest, with hopes that the forest will determine If they were to live or die actually.
Oh, but one of the two will happen.
This Is the latest Nigerian language period piece drama flick, released on Netflix on the 30th of September,.2022.
The movie was produced and directed by Kunle Afolayan. It tells a beautiful story through the eyes of culture and tradition.
It was set In the pre-colonial era as far back as the 17th century of the Old Oyo Empire, where it followed the life of a man named Saro.
The cast of the film includes Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Sola Sobowale, Kunle Remi, Bimbo Ademoye, Taiwo Hassan, Faithia Balogun, Adebayo Salami, Kareem Adepoju, Moji Olayiwola and Aisha Lawal.
It went In the whole nine yards and invited for cast, several more faces of the old time Yoruba movie industry In Nigeria. The presence of so many old time Yoruba movie actors was whelming and somehow nostalgic, great to see, I have to admit.
It was a story of a Business traveller named Saro, who found his way In to the old Oyo kingdom, In search of greener pastures. In Oyo, he found favour and things began to change for good.
Unfortunately, he also found love In a forbidden place, first he craved the abominable, and eventually got caught in the web of lust.
His illicit affair with the king’s youngest
wife, Arolake led to his untimely death and encounter with the Ęyę Akala, a mystical bird believed in then days of old Yoruba culture, to give and take life.
The movie started off with a badly beaten, dead man lying in the middle of the forest, one eye plucked out or maybe swollen, while the other was definitely swollen and blood shot. Suddenly, a big black bird, with blazing fiery furnace eyes and a black mysterious smoke around it, landed and made the man come back to life.
He then asked the resurrected man, what caused his untimely death, as this took us back to the past.
The flash back here was Saro telling us the cause of his lynching death story. It showed us where Saro had just arrived at the old Oyo kingdom, the village, with no money or place to live.
The people In the village were warm and kind to him, they gave him food, shelter and even work to make a living. Saro himself was a skilled Aso Ofi weaver and he was assisted by a wealthy woman chief, who took a liking to him and not just the Platonic, where he started the business of making the Aso Ofi.
Right from the start, Saro got warnings, various warnings. This was from more than two people, they told him not to bite more than he could chew.
But then human greed is quite vicious, and It wouldn’t listen until It takes you down low, to rock bottom, and It only leaves you on your death bed.
This was what pushed him ultimately Into trouble where he had an affair with the King’s youngest and favourite wife and It landed him In the hands of death.
But then, this movie Is not your typical romantic movie, which would end here, where justice was said to have been served for betraying the king of the land.
Because, this death point In the forest, was when the almighty Ęyę Akala (the said life and death giver bird) came In and resurrected the man.
The real mystery here was if the bird really wanted him to live or leave him as dead, or it was just Saro’s lucky charm 'Arolake' that got him out of death’s grip.
Here on was when they showed us that Arolake did not allow the mysterious Bird to put Saro back to sleep as she somehow shooed it away with a startle.
A neat trick, I must say.
Whatever might be the case, everything In life depends on our actions and Inactions and even as Saro came back to life, he had to live with the consequences of his past and future actions.
The story also depicted Saro/Anikulapo (played by Kunle Remi) as physically enticing, suave and flirtatious. His character was interesting though; a proper crush-inviting Casanova who can stick his device into anything available.
He was already blessed with two benevolent lovers, yet his loins were always on fire.
He took the kings last wife, somehow became the crush of a princess and impregnated his wife's househelp who he later married into his household, where they showed us that It somehow became three wives.
The actress who played Queen Arolake did a good job in portraying her character, from the beginimg of the movie to the end of It. She also showed how women sacrifice everything for love and live with the painful consequences.
Arolake (played by Bimbo Ademoye) endured these betrayals until Saro somehow revealed the secrets of her barrenness and who she was, actually, to the junior wives. This could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
I mean, yet she stayed, after all of these, he hit her, yet she stayed.
He should have been wary and more cautious, as she was the only one of his wives, who came with him from nothing and gave him what made them something.
Instead, Saro got so prideful and greedy that he told the king of Ojumo land to pay him with his only daughter, for the task of waking up his only son, who had given up the ghost, after a brief fever.
Somehow, It Is the law of life, you can’t offend a woman who sacrificed everything for you and also relinquished her shot at being wealthy to you, being the man In her life and expect to go scot-free.
Arolake gave him a reprieve from outright extinct, then gifted him a charm that resurrects the dead, any dead, and loved him with all her heart.
This resurrecting charm she gave him brought them wealth, fame and riches all over the village and across the neighbouring lands.
Yet, the betrayals soon followed.
While I found the character of Saro to have shown again and again how stupid some men get when they start to acquire wealth. His character also depicted some men’s self-destructive indiscretion and short time memory, It showed how quickly men forget absolute loyalty and don't care how much they hurt the selfless women in their lives once they have all the means and power.
I repeat again, It was a good movie with great cast.
The traditional Oyo kingdom setting was awesome, I got that kattgat, Vikings setting feeling with the gatetower watch House at the edge of the Oyo kingdom.
The cinematography was top-notch too.
However, If It wasn't a true life story; breaking the flow was a buzz kill. The plot was broken into a film of two halves.
Immediately Saro and Arolake eloped from Oyo Kingdom, everything about Oyo Ile ended in the movie. They didn't show us anything about the people of Ojumo village getting to know the true identities of the duo, If ever.
The sex scenes however, represents a bold barrier-breaker for movies having traditional Yoruba setting.
I must say that I have never seen people wearing the traditional Aso Ofi playing such a graphic and Intense love making scene in any movie before I saw Anikulapo.
The scenes depicting pottery are quite Iconic and It brilliantly represents a major craft in the old Oyo kingdom.
I must also submit a register of great energy from all the actors and extras in the movie scenes.
What we shouldn't discard In the movie is the fact that Saro died twice. Connect the dots from the narration of Ifayemi Elebuibon at the very beginning when he rendered the mystery of the Akala bird.
Anikulapo Is a story of power, envy, love, lust, luck, betrayal, pride, sacrifice, selflessness, death, resurrection, karma and the greedy desires of men.
The creators of the movie could have told more about the significance of the mysterious big black bird and used it more in the film, maybe show us where It woke up a few more deserving individuals.
It definitely showcases the beauty of the African culture, especially that of the Yoruba people of the Southwest, the western part of Nigeria.
The name It self, Anikulapo means one who holds death In his pocket. This ought to bring luck or doom, depending upon what you decide to do with your life and the opportunities It presents you.
Culturally and aesthetically, It was a beautiful film which introduces the global audience to the Yoruba culture of the Country Nigeria.
On the whole though, I will have to submit that Anikulapo is one movie worth watching more than one time.
Honourable mention:
I found out that, one of the daughters of the late King, His Imperial Majesty Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, acted in the movie?
She was Princess Adedoja Adeyemi,who apparently won Miss Oyo State Beauty Pageant in the Year 2020.
She was Princess Ajoke, of Ojumo village, the pretty princess that Anikulapo insisted on marrying (of course, to the utter disgust of the somehow oath sworn mute King of Ojumo) before agreeing to the king's request of resurrecting the Prince, 'Aremo of Ojumo'.
Princess ‘Adedoja did render a moving mourning song as her only vocal contribution to the movie.
The movie had a run time of about 2 hours and 22 minutes. The story is said to have been written and Inspired by the name; Ifayemi Elebuibon.
©Ibadi'aran Omo Akinde
#moviereveiws
#ratedmustwatch
#anikulapo
#topnotchs
#yorubamovies
© All Rights Reserved
