Ogbedun tells the story of Ogbedun, portrayed by Jide Awobona, who returns to his hometown after an exile to meet a power struggle for the throne, which became vacant following a king’s death. Royal blood lies in his veins due to the affair his mother, a maid, had with the town’s monarch. Will Ogbedun aim for the throne? How will he navigate the chaos the king’s death produced as rival families seek to fill the vacant throne?
Farouk Abisoye directed the movie, which also stars Jide Kosoko, Antar Laniyan, Akin Lewis, Seyi Akinsola, Joke Muyiwa, Miriam Peters, and Babaseun Faseru.
This movie gets me angry every time I remember that the language used is English. I wonder why the directors used English when the movie depicts ancient Yoruba traditions. Perhaps English was used to make the movie reach a larger demographic. Too bad for them because Koreans don’t dump their language but still go global with their films. The use of English disconnected me from the tradition the movie depicted, making me struggle to finish it.
Movie producers should know that people prefer when watching movies from other cultures and using the language of the spoken cultures. Such movies are usually interesting when followed via subtitles.
I like that the movie used veteran actors, especially those known to star in Yoruba epic movies. The actors did their best, but the movie generally lacks the spark to keep you looking ahead for what’s coming. The subtle drama in the movie is good, unlike some recent Nollywood movies with overblown drama and mediocre acting.
Ogbedun is characterised by slow pace, weak intrigues and plot development. The story itself doesn’t feel fresh. It felt like something rehashed from 90s Nollywood. I can almost put this movie in the realm of Asabawood storylines. Even without dropping a spoiler, you can easily tell what eventually became of the character Ogbedun.
Ogbedun’s production is nothing astonishing but not bad at all. It would have been overlooked if not for the lacklustre story. I place it in the same category as Miss PJ, which stars Bimbo Ademoye and Sola Sobowale.
I commend the lighting department for ensuring that the actors didn’t have alarming hotspots on their skin. The lighting of the indoor night scene is also commendable, as the directors ensured that the dark nature of night was respected, unlike other movies that use flood lights to make everything bright, leaving viewers wondering if it is a night scene they are seeing.
The costumes in Ogbedun are typical Yoruba native attires with nothing beyond the ordinary to make you want to take note as a filmmaker.
The locations used in this movie somehow confused me. Some gave off the vibe of a village movie, while others almost made me think I was seeing a movie about a modern Yoruba lifestyle.
Ogbedun was a stage play, and many will sit through to the end. But as a cinema or home video movie, I doubt the movie has what it takes to retain viewers, especially when so much multimedia content distracts us. It gets a 4/10.
