Written by Toyin Abraham, Ijakumo is a Nigerian film that is sure to cause a stir in the movie industry. The film follows the story of Jide (Kunle Remi), a wealthy pastor who leads a double life as a dangerous and self-serving member of a religious “syndicate.” He ends up falling for his church’s worship leader, Sharon (Lolade Okusanya), who also moonlights as a stripper. When his world comes crashing down, he makes some very dangerous moves to maintain his status quo.
The film has received mixed reviews from critics. While some reviews have been encouraging, others have been downright scathing. Some have praised the film’s visuals and its performances, but most of the focus has been on the film’s convoluted plot, its one-dimensional characters, and its unconvincing portrayals.
Ijakumo is a flawed film, but it does have some redeeming qualities. For instance, the visuals are well-done, and some of the performances are quite strong. The movie also starts off well, however, the plot goes off the rails about halfway through. It becomes almost impossible to follow, jumping around a lot, and is quite often unclear on what is happening. The film’s message about redemption is not well-developed and it gives you a “huh?!” head-scratching feeling at the end.
The characters have no depth to them, are underdeveloped, and unlikeable. We do not develop any sort of attachment towards them. Jide, the film’s protagonist, is a pastor with many terrible secrets. However, we don’t learn much about his motivations or his backstory other than he grew up poor and struggling. He is simply a two-dimensional character who is either good or evil, depending on the scene. We could have learned more about Jide’s motivations for leading a double life. What is he trying to achieve? What are his fears and insecurities?
Sharon, the film’s female lead, is a worship leader at Jide’s church who also works as a stripper. The character is also underdeveloped, and we don’t learn much about her motivations or her backstory. Her father owes a debt to bad people, and then what? How does she get into the business of spying and subterfuge? What is her relationship with her family? What are her dreams, aspirations, and experiences? And then she has a twin? The whole thing is convoluted.
The other characters in the film are also underdeveloped. They are simply there to serve the plot, and they don’t have any real depth or complexity. As a result of the lack of character development, the film fails to engage the audience on an emotional level. We don’t care about the characters, so we don’t care about what happens to them. This makes the film feel flat and uninteresting.
Kunle Remi of “Anikulapo” fame is the redeeming figure of this movie, and he gives a standout performance as the villain. He is charismatic and menacing, he brings a lot of energy to the role, and is mostly convincing. Toyin Abraham’s performance on the other hand, is quite lackluster and highly unconvincing. It seems quite obvious that she is “acting a movie.” It is hard to believe a word that comes out of Lola Okusanya’s mouth, and her portrayal is almost comical. Watching most of the other characters is a painful experience with subpar acting.
Even though the film has a fair amount of nudity that might make some viewers uncomfortable, the cinematography is beautiful, and the sets are atmospheric. Some audiences enjoyed Ijakumo, while others have found the film to be boring, predictable, and under-done.
I would recommend this film to people who are interested in casually viewing Nollywood films that explore themes of religion and redemption, but that don’t require too much brainpower. However, I would not recommend this film to people who are looking for a thought-provoking and well-developed film with strong characters and acting. You will be disappointed.
I would give Ijakumo a rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars, as the movie is certainly mid. It was not the best use of two whole hours.
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