Read the review below:
A predictable direction: With a few award winning movies to his credit and a burgeoning legendary status, it is only normal that Afolayan would want to outdo himself… A “big budget” movie with a political backdrop that plays on the metaphor of unity to attract a diverse audience- a country with over 250 ethnic groups- yes, it’s a film that speaks in tongues, a la Phone Swap - a move that could easily see him sit on the throne as the first king of the (dis)united states of Nollywood.
He can be trusted to be the star of his movie, not because he always finds (or forces) a role for himself in his films, but because he is usually a bigger name than his actors - a fact, but not necessarily a bad thing - I mean, where was Sadiq Daba before now?
Inside critics who had seen the movie earlier had placed it over the glamorously superficial ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ released a few months ago, consequently spiking interest in this two million dollar “David” that had supposedly struck down Biyi Bandele’s 10 million dollar (and if you are Nigerian, 1.59 BILLION NAIRA) Goliath.
But then, both films seem to have a lot in common and with such budgets- bearing in mind that Nigeria has a high level of poverty- their efforts to raise Nigeria’s film reputation must be applauded, for Kunle Afolayan especially, who seemed to have had a very difficult time amassing resources “all alone” and had every aspect of the film (save the colour grading) done strictly by Nigerians in Nigeria- yeah, patriotic poo.
So, our reaction to the movie would be tinted with compassion… If we were a bunch of Bottom holes, but that’s the cool part, we aren't.
Afolayan has never been a visionary director - he is yet to develop visual nuances that would stand him out, but of course that shouldn’t be surprising as he has – for the entire length of his movie making career- been jumping through genres and ‘experimenting.’
Yes, we like our artists to not be too versatile; that’s why Quentin Tarantino does not do romance movies, James Cameron is always about technology, Teco Benson is quite good with action films and Tunde Kelani is unbeatable at showcasing Yoruba culture… and they are all great directors.
They are great because their stories, techniques and nuances are deeply connected to their personalities, personal preferences and character traits.
An artist’s greatest works are always their most personal, it just may not always be obvious.
Afolayan is still too tensed with budgetary issues, camera techniques and commercial returns to find the serenity needed to shoot from within. What results is a work with much brain but no soul- good but not great.
October 1 is not Afolayan’s first thriller (The Figurine was), if at all we can call it that, so it was expected that by now he would have perfected his approach to film noir. The story is built on a series of virgin girl killings and a police inspector who must find the killer before Nigeria gains independence on the 1st of October 1960.
The major problem is that the writer pens a weak story with too many holes and too lazy to rewrite, makes it worse by finding excuses for all his shortcomings; alibis, suspects, red herrings and twists. As a matter of fact there is no twist, everyone guessed right. Inspector Waziri is not an interesting character- rarely seen outside his uniform, he is nothing but an inspector and is easily outshone by his side kick Kayode Aderupoko (Inspector Afonja). Somewhere along the story, the writer tries to impress another layer on Waziri’s character by bringing up his ‘wife and child’ story and ofcourse, it fails.
The whole charade of Nigeria’s independence even feels super imposed on the story. We do not understand or feel the circumstances leading to or people’s reaction towards it. Ofcourse the learned ones in Akote talk about it but the issue is approached with the depth of a pseudo-intellectual, much is spoken but nothing profound is really said.
So what if the killer doesn’t get apprehended before the 1st of October? Funmi Ransome Kuti makes an appearance- and yes, one appearance with no relation to the story at all.
The cameo parts of veteran actors like Femi Adebayo and Kanayo O Kanayo are like Brad Pitt’s “Deus ex machina” appearance in 12 Years a Slave, very brief, except that their presence is not felt either because of their under par acting and/or bad story writing. The dialogue through out the movie is either overly rehearsed or dispassionately delivered. Only a few characters hold their own and they are usually not the major actors.
It picks up only at the end when Waziri magically becomes a proud black man in an argument that aspires to what should have been experienced long before that moment.
Of course, the film is littered (however unevenly) with funny moments but it is by no means a great movie. The issue of paedophilia is touched on in the film and obviously aspires towards controversy, but it is approached with such one dimensional flippancy that it gives off the aura of a PR stunt to get people talking and increase ticket sales.
The movie is simply an embodiment of marketing gimmicks- it may make its money back but like Phone Swap and his other films, it will not revolutionise film making in Nigeria. Kunle Afolayan needs to be a deep thinking artist with a strong vision that will flow through every aspect of his work.
He isn’t there yet.
Rating: Lacking in depth. 5/10
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