Anikulapo is a yoruba movie set in the ancient old Yoruba kingdom. it was directed by Kunle Afolayan in his recently acquired film academy (KAP). The film genre rest on the old Oyo kingdom with its traditional ways and romance. the film talks about how two lovers met and their tribulations while converging on their journey through the Oyo kingdom. This is a well thought provoking film from Kunle Afolayan, a masterpiece which one can watch and learn pieces to life and how to go about it as a stranger in a strange land.
Kunle Afolayan put in place the necessary items and think tank to the completion of this film, a well deserving movie to be precise, but not all quality expectations were met. In reviewing this literary piece, I would like to start with the flaws people see on the Ojumo king. we see one of the character being mute (Hakeem kae Kaziim), but with a reason due to his former plead to the gods in forfeiting his speech in aid to his people wellbeing. But coming to light, the reason was due to his second tongue language that impedes his Yoruba dialect from giving a spoiler to the movie in all.
Also, we expect the normal Yoruba proverbs to be said often in the span of the whole movie but only saw that it was not often said in it. The richness of the Yoruba culture has to with proverbs and idioms to happening in the society and how the culture is portrayed in the ancient days. we can always expect better coming next movie from Kunle Afolayan.
Saro (Kunle Remi) was a promising clothe weaver(Aso Ofi) in search of greener pastures but came to Oyo from gbogan to achieve his dreams and success, but Awarun (Sola Sobowale) came into his life and made some brief arrangements to him by making him a gigolo to her fantasy. Saro was warned about the use of Awarun by a town gossiper who deem it necessary to notify him of how Awarun normally use young men and dump them in the process. Further into the scene, we saw that Saro caught her in the act and got jealous. this led to Awarun finding an opportunity to make Saro Anger pleasing to her by announcing to him about the palace job for him.
At the palace, Saro met Arolake (Bimbo Ademoye), a queen that yearn for the loins of a young man like Saro and also, omowunmi, a princess in the palace, also fell for Saro. this gets twisted as Omowunmi decide to tell her mother about making another audience with Saro to meet and get acquainted with him. This particular scene and act has said so much towards our present day society, were we see rivalries among peers for what they desire and must have by all means. Not forgetting the treatment of other queens in the palace and how they rival over Arolake for the fondness given to her by the king, making her to be hated and always pried upon by them and making jest of her for not being able to conceive for the king. she got betrothed to the king at a very young age, not knowing fully about herself.This led to Saro and Arolake wanting to elope the palace and was caught in the process, thereby, being beaten and left for dead in the evil forest. In relation, it points out that one should be wary of whatever he or she is doing in the dark to someday, it's going to be in the light of day for all to see.
Saro got a second chance to life after the mystical bird came to him and tries to decide his fate before Arolake had a way with the bird rendering it powerless and taking it's pouch. there after, we saw series of happenings along their journey to find a new home and in a span of time, both Saro and Arolake were thriving due to the Akala pouch they took. Saro got power drunk with it and started behaving in a way Arolake never expected of him. we saw how he broke the promise made to Arolake never to forsake her, but in the end, he did. This shows that polygamy is always in the gene of man right from time and how society has shaped man and his environment.
The flash back to slave trade times during the discussion by the chiefs brought nostalgic memories to me during my history class, and I could vividly see the fright of our mothers and fathers during that time. I was expecting to see a scene from the 2 hours packed movie of how they were attacked by the colonizers and invaders of the slave traders which led to ransacking and raiding of villages, but my expectations were shattered by mere discussion of it. well, seeing old actors discuss the scene is good but we expect to see the happenings.
In subsequent scenes, the portrayal of The movie has shown how man can be if given too much power and how one needs to pay keen attention to his surrounding too. Kunle Afolayan has really done it again and we hope to see some action packed movies coming from KAP sooner. I would give the movie a 7/10 rate.
reviewed by Alainxyhub (Abdulmalik |
