[Movie] Aníkúlápó: The Moment Power Stopped Being a Gift

I was searching for some historical fictional Nollywood movies with a bit of reality in them, then I came across Aníkúlápó. With that title, what came to my mind was something like a royalty movie with a lot of traditional spirituality elements.

What I didn't expect was that I'd be so glued to this movie because I don't often see movies like this, because I got to see what power made Saro do more than the supernatural power itself.

This movie began with a man, Saro, who was on a journey for a better life, and by the time he got exactly what he had been looking for, he became almost unrecognizable. This alone gave me some suspense that I needed.

Award-winning actor Kunle Remi was the one who acted as Saro, and without any stress, he stood out right from when he was introduced to the movie in that marketplace. At the beginning, I paid close attention to him because I liked him; he was also a traveler and a traditional Aso Oke weaver who found himself established in Oyo. And when he got to the new village, he was welcome by one of the successful traders, Awarun. She took him in and also got him a job. And those scenes made it look like he has finally found someone who could change his life.

But what I saw about Saro was that everyone that helped him, he was treating them as if they were his next stepping stone to new things, which he was doing. Because after Awarun helped him, he left her and moved to Arolake and from her to the power of the gourd.

At first, I see him as someone who didn't mean harm due to his ambition. But at some point in this movie, he was doing too much, and he didn't know when enough was really enough.

I felt sorry for Arolake even though I liked the character she played. She was the youngest of the king's wives, and even with that, it doesn't mean that she was favored and happy. The rest of the king's wives didn't like her, and that got her trapped in a marriage she didn't choose, and when she came in contact with Saro, they both found affection towards each other.

What got me so interested in Arolake was how much she went out of her way to help Saro. And after Saro was killed. And after Saro was killed, Arolake, out of her love for him, fought Akala and took the mysterious gourd that could bring the dead back to life. She brought back Saro to life and gave him the power. But with this, Saro became much more powerful, and Arolake became less important to him.

Sola Sobowale, who played the role of Awarun, was a character I so much enjoyed watching because of how fluent she was in her local dialect and her charisma, which made her so impossible to ignore. She has her own business and is an independent, wealthy woman and commands a lot of respect and power in her environment. When Saro first got to her village with nothing, Safe connected him to opportunities and also helped him in her way.

And I got a bit furious after I saw how he betrayed her, and this made me realize that Saro was not only ambitious. But should I say he was covetous due to the fact that anyone who helps him, he easily forgets once he no longer needs them because he has moved to the next stage?

And even though some people like the Alaafin and his wives, who were frustrating Arolake, the palace servants, guards, and market women played a little dialogue in this movie; their impact was still felt, and the chiefs and hunters also made the environment look so much like ancient Oyo, which gave this movie more life and not just Saro's story.

And the place where this movie was getting more interesting to me was when Saro was brought back to life and he began to use his power and how those around him were giving him a special treatment due to his new ability. And what made me dislike him was when he began to make demands from people and ask for payment before he could help anyone when everything he has was handed freely to him. And what he did with the power he had hit me so hard because he believed he was better than the rest of the people.

Apart from the characters, another thing I do much admire about this movie was the environment they used. The Yorùbá cultural details and how detailed the cultural beliefs were.

This movie doesn't treat the supernatural as something separate from what I already knew in my everyday life. Death, spirits, charms, and the living world all exist together, which made the story feel rooted in Yoruba folklore.

Though I still have some complaints about some of the scenes that felt rushed, Aníkúlápó was one of the movies where I saw how someone can come from nothing and become someone and then become nobody again, just like what happened to Saro.

He was privileged to have another opportunity that a lot of people were seeking, but he still lost everything at the end. This kept on ringing in my head even after the movie because it was memorable for me. And I'll rate this movie 8.9/10. And it is a movie I will recommend to you, anyhow.

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