June 20, 2021

by Adebayo Adegbite Ekene Mekwunye’s “One Lagos Night” is a  crime comedy set in Lagos, Nigeria. It follows the story of Ehizogie “Ehiz” Obaseki (Ikponmwosa Gold) and his roommate Tayo (Frank Donga), two down on their luck graduates, who plan to rob Anita (Genoveva Umeh), a rich, young fixer and money launderer. The robbery quickly gets complicated when another gang of robbers with the same idea enter the scene and the pair must use their wits and resources to survive in a battle that could cost them their freedom and possibly their lives. The film has a small cast of mostly relative Nollywood newcomers and upcoming acts. Nollywood veterans like Ali Nuhu and Eniola Badmus also make appearances. The film boasts a lean 103 minutes of runtime and its plot relies on a common trope that has been rehashed many times. But somehow, One Lagos Night still finds ways to be enjoyable. Perhaps what helps is the uncanny decision to keep things short and simple. The film does not make promises that it cannot keep and delivers on all the promises that it makes. More importantly, it bucks the popular trend in Nollywood comedies where directors just pack their movies full with actors who do absolutely nothing. In One Lagos Night, all character motivations are clear, and it is easy to see how they develop organically within the story and how the story itself builds up to its climax. It is perhaps this organic development that makes the story extremely enjoyable and relatable, such that the viewer is drawn into the story and is invested in it. Like a farmer watching his crops or a pet owner watching their pet grow, the viewer is eager to see what happens next. For a comedy, “One Lagos Night” is surprisingly thrilling and suspenseful, such that when the final twist does come, viewers are likely to be thrown off-guard without deeming it an ass pull, thanks to breadcrumbs that are everywhere. The social commentary also adds an extra layer of relevance to the comedy. The character of Tayo, for example, is a sly dig at the average Nigerian’s obsession with religion, such that even when he or she is doing something obviously illegal, he somehow still uses religion to justify it. While Ikponmwosa Gold does not disappoint as Ehiz, the highlight of the movie is no doubt Frank Donga who wears the character of Tayo like a second skin, again proving why he is everybody’s favourite unassuming, unemployed character actor. His character Tayo is a proper foil to Gold’s Ehiz. I am also impressed that the movie does not fall into the uncoordinated slapstick traps that Nollywood comedies often fall into. These often well-intentioned efforts to make the viewers laugh come off as tiring and annoying thus rendering the experience tasteless. Over here, Ehiz and Tayo are just being themselves; two poor and unemployed Nigerians behaving like poor and unemployed Nigerians in dialogue and mannerisms. Their humour feels natural to the viewer because they are embedded in relatable actions and reactions. This naturalness extends to the secondary characters. From Eniola Badmus as Uloma to Ali Nuhu as Radiant , Genoveva Umeh as Anita and Ani Iyoha as Killer, everyone’s here to do their job and nothing more. They are not taking space or padding the stats, they are adding diverse qualities that make for a wholesome experience. One can argue that the film’s runtime is a tad short, thus robbing the characters the chance to develop some more, but the popular maxim comes to mind here: the best storytellers are not just the ones who know how to craft a good narrative, but the ones who know how to stick to the point of that narrative and end it when they know that they have satisfied their audience. Also the irreverent “quotable quotes” that come at various intervals are worthy of mention. The quotes themselves are interesting, but what makes them brilliant in hindsight is that, like the victim of a lighthearted and harmless prank, the viewer attempts to follow the quotes to see how they relate to the film’s plot, but then later realizes that he has been had and that the quotes are just someone goofing around and nothing deep is going on with them. Everything said, the narration by Ehiz is sore thumb worthy of rebuke. It’s largely incoherent and should have been approached with more carefulness. Ehiz is presumably narrating an incident that already happened but it comes out more like commentary on a live event, perhaps because the director is trying to preserve the suspense and that does skewer the story a bit.  Also, the attempt at an American accent by Genoveva Umeh’s is lazy and shouldn’t have found a way into the film. Overall “One Lagos Night” is a movie that doesn’t have any delusions of its own grandeur or attempts of its comedic value. It instead sticks to being natural and proving for once that real life doesn’t have to be embellished for it to be funny in fiction. And that is why I highly recommend it.  

by Efe Kalu If you were to ask any Nigerian what genre they think best describes their lives, you may find yourself chuckling as they describe themselves as unlikely heroes in the usual fares – romance, comedy, tragedy, or adventure. But come to think of it, taking into consideration of events, both past and present, isn’t the Nigerian reality for most of us firmly at home in the black comedy genre? Think about it. Day after day, Nigerians wake up to diverse socio-political issues that should do their heads in but they snigger at them or, at worst, for a minority, find ways to insulate themselves. This is not foolishness or a willful insensitivity to the bleak reality but a resistance, a grasp at survival. Indeed, the existential dread that should colour their overt reactions remain seated in the far trenches of their minds. To acknowledge them is to worry to death and Nigerians are far from ready to throw in the towel just yet. Kenneth Gyang’s Confusion Na Wa is the critic of the times we didn’t know we needed. The 2013 film begins as you’d probably expect. A rather cynical narration from one of our protagonists on the meaning of life. “When I was a boy, they told me that everything happens for a reason, but they were wrong,” Chichi says (Gold Ikponmwosa ), “You get born, somethings just happen, then you die. And in most cases, you shit yourself.” Uncomfortable yet? There’s something decidedly honest about the film. It isn’t the first nor will it be the last Nollywood film to attempt to tackle or provide commentary on a very long list of societal ills. Confusion Na Wa is a sturdy drama that balances both humour and honesty, dispelling vain comedic theatrics and pretentious grim-faced seriousness to capture the quintessence of Nigerian millennialism – suffering and smiling The film’s title takes inspiration from a lyric in Fela’s 1975 album – Confusion. That particular album provided rather stinging criticism on the post-colonial state of Lagos, adequately musing about the induced and inherent confusion of the average Nigerian in such a polity. This sort of philosophical pondering punctuates rather than subsumes the film’s sharp, witty, and rather colorful dialogue. It stands in rather stark contrast to what we’re used to in mainstream Nollywood dialogue. There’s an abundance of gross obscenities, barely any pidgin English and no incongruous litany of raised voices. Although, this seeming sophistication may sometimes lean too heavily on our characters. A case in point is a conversation between two of our protagonists, Charles Duka (O.C Ukeje) and ChiChi near the beginning of the film. As amusing as this sequence is, it seems rather unlikely as a casual conversation between two friends in a bar. Taking a cue from Fela’s criticism of a post-colonial Lagos, ChiChi and Charles’ banter over the poor state of Nigerian films leads to a rather “woke” interpretation of Disney’s The Lion King. ChiChi speculates that Mufasa’s reign as the lightly colored king of the jungle – peaceful and prosperous, comes in stark contrast with the darker Scar and his stigmatized hyenas – harsh and tumultuous. Simba’s return as the right and true ruler of the jungle sees the hyena’s ultimately manipulated into betraying Scar, revealing still the uncertainty and confusion of the darkly colored hyenas. Provoking? Yes. An Overreach? perhaps. This extended sequence of dialogue gives credence to the film’s themes and influences – a post-colonial city and people in chaos and disorder. Our characters and protagonists merely wade through its temptations desperately trying to make meaning and sense of what is and isn’t. All while putting on a show in humour, morality, tragedy, lust, and infidelity. As Charles calls it, still taking inspiration from The Lion King, it’s the “circle of life.” His actions become the dot that begins to entrap our various protagonists. O.C Ukeje is the standout performer in a sea of excellent performances. He combines charisma and nuance to wrestle away relevance from whoever he shares the screen with. Gold Ikponmwosa’s ChiChi serves as a worthy understudy to Ukeje’s cheap playboy. Although, I found Ali Nuhu’s caricatured mannerisms as the socially awkward and perennial loser, Bello, to be more suited to the stage than the screen. As the lives of our characters begin to converge, their complexity and shared chemistry elevate the film beyond its slow-burning and unconventional plotting. Even while the film melds elements of crime and thriller, the looming threat that our protagonists must rise to aren’t merely bound in guns or physical confrontation. Babajide (played by Tony Goodman) is the supposedly model citizen. Routinely alarmed at the growing decline of morality in the country and the lack of manly verve in his son, Kola, he runs a newspaper called “The Gospel Trumpet” that’s intent on provoking moral similitudes amongst the nation’s youth. He also decides the best way to teach Kola a lesson in manliness is by getting him involved in the workings of his job. Poor Kola couldn’t be any less interested. As the day goes on, however, Babajide begins to give into fearing “the worst” about his son. The faint possibility that his son could be homosexual sends him somewhat over the edge and he garbles and ponders over what he must do. In righteous indignation, he decides to send Kola to a brothel to be “cured”. The paradoxes of our characters’ motivations and  the confusion of the eventual meaninglessness of their existence sees them unwittingly become antagonists in their own stories. They become trapped by the things they’ve chosen to ignore and must make decisions that will inevitably change them forever. As a character muses on his shocking death – ”At the end, the coolest, and most good looking character gets shot for the indiscretions of his less charismatic friend. If it doesn’t make sense, it’s not supposed to.” Suddenly, the dread of such injustice and tragedy only moments ago gripping our hearts quickly gives way to a wry chuckle. Nothing