Watching
'Lionheart', directed by Genevieve Nnaji, has convinced me, once more,
that the Nigerian film industry has come of age. I watched it on
Netflix, which released it on January 4.
Nnaji starred in the lead role as Adaeze, a foreign educated only daughter of an Enugu-based bus passenger tycoon.
Adaeze's
father, played by Pete Edochie, is in the doldrums of a failing health
and a company operating in a slippery business environment, threatened
with bankruptcy as it clashes with an aggressive competitor. While her
only brother has his sights on a career in music, it becomes Adaeze's
lot to do all she can to save the company. To succeed, she teams up with
a mirthful uncle (Nkem Owoh) whose ideas she at first rejects but has
to embrace when all her chosen options are locked up.
There
is an interesting north-meets-east portion in the movie where Adaeze's
family teams up with the Alhaji Maikano family from Kano (played
brilliantly by Sani Mu'azu and Yakubu Muhammad).
Poster of the movie 'Lionheart' |
The
film is superb. Tension, joy, family values, sensuality, humour, among
other emotions, are well-conveyed. There is scarcely any misstep in the
acting, setting and the cinematography generally. The mush-mash of
English, Igbo and Hausa not only reflects our diversity but also
projects a delicious art form. Kudos to Nnaji, the cast and crew, and
The Entertainment Network (T.E.N.) which funded the 2018 production.
With
'Lionheart', the delectable Nnaji has re-established herself as an
A-list African actress with the promise of a global prowess. And to
think that this is her directorial debut! No wonder it is the first
Nigerian movie to be obtained by and featured in Netflix and it has
received favourable responses at the international film festivals held
in Toronto and Marrakesh. It has a rating of 5.5/10 on IMDb - a
remarkable feat for a non-Hollywood production.
It
is sad, however, that the cinema distribution cabal in Nigeria refused
to show this film when it should because of some odious self-interest,
hiding under the excuse of late booking. 'Lionheart' is the kind of
movie that everyone should support. I'll call it a "diplomatic product"
because it represents Nigeria culturally in the global marketplace. It
is not just another Nollywood movie, but a universal flick that reflects
our individual and collective dreams. You should go and see it.
I think it is just another highly overrated movie that offers nothing different except the east collaborating with north.
ReplyDeleteNot to me. 3 million bucks plus Nerfkix - first for a Nigerian film - equals quality in my books. What I liked best was the tone of the dialogue - cultured Nigerian English, not wannabe Americanization. Yakubu Mohammed surprised me with a brilliant performance - much better than the OTHER highly OVER RATED "superstar".
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