TATU.
TATU is a well told
African epic adventurous story, with a little bit of horror in it. The movie is
an adaptation of the book, Tatu, written by Abraham E. Nwankwo, produced and
expertly directed by Filmone Production and Don Omope respectively. Abraham
presented a very relatable tale of the humiliation and desperation that comes
with a woman’s childlessness, in an intriguing way.
Tatu is a tale of a
childless Nigerian widow, who will stop at nothing to hear the cry of her own
child. Her determination pushes her to enter into a pact with the god of her
land, Gburu, to bare a daughter, Tatu, and then sacrifice her for the
forgiveness of the sins of the people. At the sight of her child, the mother would
stop at nothing, again, to save her from such malicious fate. The action of the movie
sets in when everyone tries to stop the very adamant Gburu, from finding Tatu.
But fate, they say, will always find a way.
The film is a true
vindication to the integrity of Nollywood. It is a beautiful story, with the
right mystery and suspense. Each scene would leave you eager to see the next; or
wishing you could have a talk with the director of the movie and ask him what
the next scene holds and how the film will end. The twists the story had was
refreshingly beautiful, like how Wali (Gabriel Afolayan) was initially an
annoying pest to Tatu, but was also her necessary evil.
Special appreciation to
the team that handled the settings of this movie. Everything about the movie
complimented its African epic theme: The costumes, nicely picked; The makeup,
just appropriate; The old school disco house, refreshing; Wali’s house, nice
and cozy, with just the right vintage look for a comfortable person in an epic
setting; The village; The bushes; The chief priest’s den; The decor.
Everything.
Then the cinematography
of this movie can only be described using one word: PERFECT. Beautiful camera
angles, appropriate lighting. The entire D.O.P of this movie needs to go out
for a drink in celebration of a job well done.
My only issue with this
movie, however, is the fact that the village seemed not to have inhabitants
other than Tatu’s mother, the Chief priest and his servants.
The characters:
The casting of the movie
was certainly deliberate and suitable. With actors ranging from Toyin Abraham
and a delight from the past, Segun Arinze, it was a project well executed.
I have said that Toyin
Abraham became uncomfortable being a large present boxed in a rather smallpackage for too long and had to break loose. With every New Nollywood feature, she keeps proving
me right. Amazing how her role could have easily been down played, but her
acting gift is too conspicuous to be downplayed by any role, small or big. In
this movie, she gave the right emotion and persona to the character Tatu’s
mother. She simply sizzled with energy.
With Dakore Akande’sexceptional performance in Isoken; Patrick Doyle’srefreshing act in Isoken; And now, Segun Arinze’s sensational
performance in Tatu, one question keeps resounding in my head: Why did it take
this long for the New Nollywood
directors to pick out the best from the rest? Huh?
It is safe to say that Segun
Arinze was created to be Gburu’s chief priest. His voice ruled the whole cinema;
it felt like a resounding instruction that told us to remain in our seats and
not flinch or bat an eyelid. Thank God I entered the cinema ready not to move
an inch till the movie was over.
I strongly believe that
Rahama Sadau’s recent ban from Kannywood for hugging and cuddling a musician inhis music video, was
an intentional step by her, to announce her presence to the world; because after
her performance in Hakunde, I was certain, I was going to be seeing more of her
in New Nollywood movies. And Voila!
She plays the role Tatu. Whatever the case may be,
she is indeed a delight to watch and I am beginning to love her.
In my review of themovie, My Wife & I, I said that there is still yet to be a
character that Sambasa Nzeribe would not be able to pull off, and he proves me
right yet again. His ability to stay expressionless in the whole movie and
still give a remarkable performance is meritorious. Plus, I am guessing he had
to hit the gym for a month or two, to be able to flaunt that body with that
much confidence. He obviously has a particular goal in his acting career: Get
the script; study it well; Give a breathtaking performance.
I left the best for the
last; our very own Gabriel Afolayan. Thank you for coming out of wherever it is
you have been hiding. In this movie, he played the role of Wali, Tatu’s
boyfriend, and he gave the character the appropriate wit, naughty and humorous
life it required. He was the perfect example of a bad guy boyfriend that ladies
who love good bad guys, fall in love with. He is the act you will easily take
to liking, when you see this film.
In summary, the movie
was intriguing and exciting. On a scale from zero to five, this baby girl gives
this movie a FOUR AND A HALF,
because it was power packed: Adventurous; Horror and Intriguing, all at once. I
recommend this movie to everyone, young and old; married and single; individual
and coupled up…. Everyone.
Go, see the movie, have
fun and tell me what you feel about it in the comment section below. #Wink
Full Cast
Desmond Elliot – Father Hanu
Toyin Abraham – Tatu’s
mother
Segun Arinze – Chief
Priest
Sambasa Nzeribe – Kimali
Gabriel Afolayan - Wali
Funlola Aofiyebi – Raimi
– Convent mother
Rahama Sadau – Tatu
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……….Talk2urHommie……….
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