Movie Review: The Herd

Hello everyone,

I have to say it is high time I talk about this movie. A masterpiece from Nigeria, from the works of Daniel Etim Effiong. I kept on postponing when I would finally watch this movie because I knew it was going to be something of an emotional rollercoaster, and I wanted to be prepared for it.

It is a break from the not-too-serious movies I have been reviewing. Well, everything took a turn for me when I watched the previous movie I reviewed, that is The Last Samurai Standing. I finally decided it is time to mix up my movie list a little bit. So The Herd on Netflix was the ice breaker.

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The Herd is a movie that depicts the issue of insecurity from the hands of banditry and terrorism. It has become a growing concern for a while now, and even the President of the USA had to make a statement about it, especially when it involved the killing of Christians. And that is not all, American pop star Nicki Minaj has been a frontrunner for the issue as well.

I did not know much about the movie, only that I came across it on my Netflix feed, but my interest in watching the movie became a lot stronger after the online applause of the movie from Nigerian Twitter and the supposed concerns that there was an issue of stereotyping, especially of the Fulani people. Like, please come on, it is a movie, and the fact is the movie speaks certain truths. There is more to what meets the eye, that I know, but there are also facts, and the fact is there is an issue of insecurity, and that is what the movie truly depicts. Take it or leave it; that is up to you.

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Heads up, everyone, if you are not ready for a little bit of waterworks from the movie, I would advise you to skip this one or keep it until you are ready for it. The movie began with a happy event that anybody would be happy to attend, and that is a wedding. Who does not like the celebration of love between two individuals? The love in the atmosphere makes you look up to God and say God when, and then there is the food, the jollof and more. This is how it all began.

Boom. All of a sudden, things turned around for the newlywed couple while on their way from the church back to their home. They got kidnapped by bandits along the road, and since it was a road filled with different vehicles, this means different individuals will make up the hostages. Not too long after the news broke, as always, bad news spread faster than wildfire. Even a ransom for each head was sent to the respective relatives of the hostages.

As if that was not enough, the movie showcased how ritualists tend to profit by making use of the body of a dead hostage for their fetish and ungodly acts. No action was left unturned, but the acting from Mercy Aigbe, Kunle Remi, Deyemi Okanlawon, and Genoveva Umeh was top-notch and especially Genoveva's. What she went through on her wedding day is something no human being or bride should experience. I have to say she tops the list for the bride with the worst wedding night.

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If you haven't seen this movie, I strongly recommend it. I hope I didn't give away too many spoilers. I tried my best not to.

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_{I am @samostically, a chess player and writer. I love to share the experience I have gained from different battles over the 64 squares and the knowledgeable insights from books I have read. But most importantly, I am a Midnight Owl and I founded the community Midnight Letters.}

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