Silas Wan Japa is a Nollywood comedy that explores the Japa craze that has Nigerians hooked. For your information, Japa is a Yoruba word for flee, and its usage by people who travel out of the country connotes fleeing to greener pastures. This movie was directed by Darasen Richards and produced by Albert Esu and Taiwo Adebayo. It stars comedian and skit maker Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Ejekwu a.k.a. Sabinus or Mr Funny, Mercy Eke, Mercy J. Okojie, N. Bolaji Nasboi, etc. The movie is packed with gags, jabs and funny jokes, and the time spent watching the movie is worth every penny.
Silas Wan Japa tells the story of Silas, a young and reckless hustler who struggles to gather cash for a shady travel scam with his crush, Baby Sempe. The attempt at fleeing the country is followed by a hilarious period of debt., double-crossing and the making of enemies. Overlooking the humour of the movie, one can see a portrayal of the desperation and hurdles many face in their efforts to escape hardship in Nigeria.
How the actors performed
Sabinus came with his A-game by displaying a comedic character that left me cracking up. He stole the show, and as the lead character, his presence kept the movie going. However, I must confess that I wasn’t moved by all the drama and comedy I saw in the movie, especially when I saw Sabinus going all-out with his performance. Another actor who deserves his flowers is Nedu Wazobia, given how he delivered the dialogue full of one-liners that felt like he came up with them on the spot. In the quiet parts of the movie, Mercy Johnson-Okojie delivered while Deyemi Okanlawon brought some toughness to the drama. I felt the directors should have given some characters enough screen time to shine. I suppose they just had to stay close to Silas’ perspective.
The beauty of this movie is how it makes viewers feel and how it pokes fun at the scramble to Japa, as displayed by Silas. The movie is not just about laughs; it contains some social commentary capable of touching the heart like a sermon preached by a pastor. This gave it some heart and made it feel real. Unfortunately, Silas Wan Japa suffers from pacing issues, particularly in the second half of the movie, which includes some side stories that felt rushed or left viewers hanging.
Poor technicalities
If you aim to head to the cinema to see a wonderful picture with a cinematic look, Silas Wan Japa is not the movie for you. The colour grading is very poor, with uncontrolled highlights and harsh lighting that made the faces of the actors look stressed. I doubt a makeup artist was employed, as the actors’ faces looked sweaty. I can understand making Silas look sweaty because of his hustling spirit. But why did the other actors look sweaty, even Mercy Johnson-Okojie? At some point in the movie, I could feel the vibe of a Romance Comedy. That made me wonder why the movie didn’t make use of the kind of vibrant colour grading that is typical of that genre.
Silas Wan Japa may not perform well in cinemas, especially with minimal promotion to create awareness about the movie. However, families will have a good time streaming it at home when the movie gets to that stage. Silas Wan Japa receives a 5/10, a low score due to the poor technical aspects.
