REVIEW: "Aníkúlápó"

Cast: Kunle Remi, Bimbo Ademoye, Taiwo Hassan, Shola Sobowale, Ronke Ojo,  Eyiyemi Afolayan and Hakeem Kae-Kazim. 

Director: Kunle Afolayan

Date of release: 30th of October, 2022 

Plot:  After cheating death, a man finds himself in possession of a great power. 

The  Yoruba word Aníkúlápó means, 'To have  death in one's pouch', a fitting title for this  epic/historical fiction/fantasy. It  made full use of folklore and Yoruba mythology in telling the story, which had the rich feel of a full length African novel.  Oyo state was the right location, as the mountians, rocks, lake and forest was a vast and picturesque setting, complete with the huts and interior scenes of the palaces. The careful detail in settings, costumes and props, along with the scenes of people working  took the viewers back to ancient times, giving it an authentic, rich feel of the past and showcasing Yoruba culture.

 

 The mythology/ folklore aspect of the film comes in the form of the Alaka bird (Ẹiyẹ akalamagbo), a mythical bird with the power of resurrection, but grants a resurrected person passage to the next world  in his or her time. This bird, it turns out, plays a prominent role in the story; its first appearance is in the opening scene, where it asked a resurrected man the question... "What is the cause of your death?" This immediately sharpens the viewers interest as this  obviously occured in the middle of the story, hence we are eager to see more. 

2010 Gulder Ultimate Search winner, Kunle Remi plays the main character Saro; the film itself having an ensemble cast and  the director's daughter, Eyiyemi Afolayan, playing one of the royal princesses, the only one besides the Senior Olori (Ronke Ojo), who befriends the youngest Olori, Arolake (Bimbo Ademoye).  

Saro, a wandering weaver, arrives in  the village, met with curiousity, suspicion and fascination (by the women mostly) and is immediately befriended by an older woman, Awarun,  (Sola Sobolawale) who gives him a job at her clay pot making factory and they begin an affair. It is naturally assumed Saro was running away from a traumatic past and he is immediately satisfied with his lot as he settles in his new surroundings, returning to his weaving and begins an affair with his  benefactor. 

Olori Arolake is the Kabiyesi's (Taiwo Hassan)  youngest and favourite wife, but hated by two of the oloris, despite the Senior Olori's (Ronke Ojo) admonitions. Arolake and Saro eventually meet while selling his wares at the palace and another affair begins. At first, viewers may think it is initiated because of Arolake's unfortunate circumstances  but it's revealed she's been very unhappy for a long time, the King's love for her nothwithstanding, and they eventually flee the land together to another, which sets the course for the second half of the film. 

 Arolake is given character development as she grows from sad and helpless to shrewd and mature, far more mature than her lover. Ditto Saro, from naive and hardworking- a relatable character we root for- gradually turns to an arrogant  man who makes wrong decisions and eventually pays for them, not seeming to remember the adage "Pride goes before a fall." But then again, when one is drunk with power, one feels invisible. 

The story was well written, stellar performances from the cast, including  Hakeem Kae-Kazim ("Hotel Rwanda", " The Librarian" and "Pirates of the Carribean") who we hardly hear speak, as his character communicates via his mouthpiece (Akede Oba) all through the film, but his body language and gestures were on point.  Yinka Quadri played against type, as a hunter Saro and Arolake meet on their journey, a role that more than suited him, and we saw the return of two veterans to the screen-  Sunday Omobolanle (Aluwe) and Kareem Adepoju (Baba Wande). 

 However, despite Kunle Afolayan's great effort, "Aníkúlápó" fell a bit down in expectations, sorry to say. 

It started well but got predicatable in the middle and towards the end. Kunle Afolayan made an appearance as  Awarun's other lover (Akanji's warning to Saro coming true) but nothing else is known about him, other than he appeared to be a man of means. We don't find out  why Awarun left her matrimonial home to begin with, and we don't see the conflict we expected between Saro and the other workers at the factory who were obviously jealous of Awarun's favouritism towards him. 

While the  make up artists did a good job,  some of the tribal marks on members of the cast were a tad overdone, plus, the "years later" scenes showed Saro looking several years younger than Arolake. I doubt Oyo men at the time  had their heads and mustaches (if they had them) trimmed so evenly,  Saro looked more authentic in the first half of the film, his appearance, in spite of his clothes and tribal marks, looked like a modern pretty boy, making him stand out more among the rest of the cast than he did before. A nude love scene, which obviously must have raised several eye brows, was unnecessary as the other love scenes were handled better.  Yet perharps the director was trying to symbolise Arolake's love for Saro was passionate, compared to the tame scene between her and the King, showing that relationship was one sided. 

The open ended conclusion could have been handled better. The film's denouement  was predictable but the film ended abruptedly, leaving it for the viewers to interprete and come to their own conclusions. Not cool, Mr Afolayan!

Still, many lessons can be derived from 'Aníkúlápó'... there are some things mortals should not meddle with, the higher they rise, the harder they fall AND actions have reprecussions. Oh, and of course, fantastic music score and effective use of CGI. 

A good watch but parental guidance is advised for younger viewers. TRAILER

Quotes

Arolake: "The moon is my secret lover". 

Saro: "If this kind of beauty can belong to me, only death would seperate us."

Trivia:

Eiyemi Afolayan's film debut. 

Hakeem Kae-Kazim played Oba Aderoju, who communicated through his Akede Oba (king's mouthpiece). In real life, the actor speaks in a British accent.