So you miss the cinema. We do too! But that has not stopped us from seeing amazing and interesting content come to light amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
That said, all we have now is our devices, the internet and a lot of streaming services to make us happy with good movie contents. On that, we want to tell you about Abba Makama’s The Lost Okoroshi which rocked Netflix today. The Lost Okoroshi is Makama’s sophomore project following his 2017’s Green White Green. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019, to positive reception from Hollywood Reporter and Variety. It also showed in Nigeria at last year’s Light Camera Africa and received befitting applause.
Here’s why we excited about the film:
1. Masqurades aren’t that bad
The lost okoroshi prominently features masquerades, which is a promotional material. Very hard to miss and also the subject matter. We see thus through the reinforcement of makama’s mummblecore filmmaking. The world between humans and masqueraded are unclear. Lagos the site of this deconstruction and features masquerades removed from the mystique, at least for a good of the film. The star of the Movie Seun Ajayi who has recurring dreams about them and must navigate the build up stereotype along with the societal fear associated with these entitles, as he become one.
The lost okoroshi takes one on a trip to uncover things unknown, bringing one closer to his or her fears and showing that you can embrace them.
The Lost Okoroshi is an acid trip into the gulf of the unknown, bringing you closer to your fears and showing that you can embrace them.
2. It pays homage to old Nollywood
Maybe not deliberately, but one thing that stands out from The Lost Okoroshi is the way it’s shot, one that evokes 90’s Nollywood nostalgia. Using a 4:3 aspect ratio, the picture is collapsed into a more compact view. There’s also slow-motion sprinkled for effect, and a score consisting of linear, unvarnished sounds twisted into the film’s purple-hued dreamscape.
3. Chiwetalu Agu will make you laugh anytime
Chiwetalu Agu belongs to a slowly depleting rank of Nollywood veterans who aren’t riding on the coattails of past performances, but must present themselves anew in this world of modern cinema. Chiwetalu plays a wizened friend to Ajayi’s troubled character, guiding him with rare wisdom and all the zingers that we have come to associate with the actor.
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4. The Lost Okoroshi subtly attempts horror
Truth be told, masquerades are scary things, and while The Lost Okoroshi works as a lighthearted critique of our phobia for them, the film has got horror trappings – dream sequences with jump scares, an insidious score, and characters haunted by strange happenings. If you are a fan of horror, The Lost Okoroshi will warm your heart.
5. A celebration of Igbo tradition
Modern Nollywood is making way for films grounded in Igbo sensibilities, and although it’s nothing like Nollywood’s golden age of Igbo films on VHS tapes, there’s an appreciation of movies recognizing native customs and traditions. Movies like Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart and Ramsey Nouah’s Living in Bondage: Breaking Free have characters unabashedly speaking Igbo. In Abba Makama’s film the titular Okoroshi, whether invented or not, is situated in Igbo folklore and ancestry. There’s a decent dose of Igbo humor as well.
