Afamefuna: An Nwa Boi Story arrived on Netflix late last month after a theatrical run in December. The movie came to my attention after its streaming release. It had generated significant conversation on Twitter enough to land on the trends list, where I found it.
Virtually every tweet had something positive to say about it, but I have learned to take Twitter hype with a pinch of salt. My curiosity was piqued, though, and I decided to give it a try.
Read my thoughts below!
Here's what I enjoyed about the movie:
Most of Afamefuna's actors were perfectly cast, from Kanayo O. Kanayo and Segun Arinze to Stan Nze and Alexx Ekubo. Everybody was on fire, and virtually all the actors embodied their characters.
The casting team didn't just get the main actors right. Their impressive job also extended to those who had bit-part roles, like Afamefuna's mother and the Customs officer. Each of these people personified their characters.
In instances where the actors delivered uninspiring performances, I believe it was because the director didn't do enough to coax better from them.
I feel Afamefuna's cinematography crew dropped the ball in some scenes. The first one that comes to mind was at the beginning of the movie, when the detective visited Afamefuna at home. There was something off about how they captured that scene, from the way both men stood so close to each other, like two men gossiping, to the camera's movement as the scene progressed.
Nevertheless, the movie's cinematography is sublime for the most part. The crew did a great job of depicting the story on screen, and I imagine the writer would have been largely pleased with how they brought her imagination to life.
Is it me, or are more and more Nigerian movies making better sound selections? PrimeVideo's Breath of Life impressed me with its array of songs, scores, and sound effects, and now, Afamefuna has done the same.
The movie features a top collection of songs and sounds, so I couldn't help but be immersed in its story. The fact that the soundtrack fit the scenes like a glove made it even more so. I especially liked hearing Flavour's songs.
Their inclusion was hardly a surprise, given that he exemplifies Igbo culture and tradition. Nevertheless, they were still pleasant to hear.
I already mentioned that I love Afamefuna's casting. However, it is one thing to cast the right actors and another for them to deliver on their performances. Afamefuna's actors did the latter exceptionally well, too.
Kanayo O. Kanayo impressed me the most with his interpretation of Odogwu. I especially enjoyed the part where he laid out his rules to Afamefuna; I found it funny and refreshing. I also liked StanNze'ss acting. He was measured and assured, yet uncertain, all of which you would expect from his character, Afamefuna.
The acting in Afamefun isn't all stellar, though, and there were times I felt like tearing my hair out. One example is young Paulo. While the actor who portrayed him started well, his performance soon became frustrating and inconsistent. But, like I said earlier, I think this is more the director's fault than the actor's, especially since I am convinced he could have delivered a much better performance.
Here's some of what I found underwhelming in Afamefuna:
In my opinion, Afamefuna'ss director could have done a much better job than he did with the movie. Some of the things I blame him for could have been the fault of the scriptwriter and the actors.
However, it was his job to ensure that everything came together nicely, especially since he had the power to make changes where he saw fit. So, blaming him is a case of "With great power comes great responsibility."
For instance, when young Afamefuna arrived at Odogwu's shop in Lagos, his mother didn't deem it fit to introduce him to their host. Which mother will take her young, firstborn son to a new place and not bother to hand him over to his would-be guardian officially? The son she would be leaving behind for years, for that matter.
Plus, one would expect her to, at least, rest a bit. Traveling from Onitsha to Lagos is an incredibly long journey, and returning immediately, especially since placing Afamefuna on a bus would have amounted to the same thing, is poor writing cum directing.
There was also the part where the customer came in angry about a product that was sold to them. What happens next? They leave with a new product that they don't even assess. How does that make any sense?
These little things are annoying because they are such low-hanging fruits. The fact our movies keep missing them makes it all the more frustrating.
Afamefuna's story is inspiring, heartwarming, and hopeful. It is the kind of story that Nigerians need to hear, especially now during these dark days of the Tinubu administration when birds are not chirping like birds and rats are not squeaking like rats.
Nevertheless, I feel the writers could have done a better job. Don't get me wrong: They wrote a beautiful story. Ironically, the fact that they did a good job is why I have higher expectations of them and believe they could have done an even better job. They didn't even have to do much but polish and refine the story. Their failure to do this is, in my opinion, a disservice to both the story and themselves.
For one, I have a problem with how they wrote about Afamefuna's romance with Amaka, especially when they were young. It almost bordered on obsession, and such sickens me. I get how a lifelong love, no matter what could have been charming and heartwarming 50 years ago. But it is 2024, and such is no longer acceptable.
While I blame the director for many of the movie's shortcomings, there are some that a better, tighter script could have alleviated. For instance, Afamefuna and his mother at Odogwu's shop, Afamefuna's mother's unnatural, sudden departure, and Nneka's abrupt questioning.
Afamefuna is an incredible movie on many levels. I especially loved the subtle message that love trumps all, which our protagonist shows when he reassures his wife of his love for her and their son.
Afamefuna is a great movie; it tells an incredibly feel-good story. In the background, an eclectic selection of sounds and music provides such stellar support for the actors doing their thing on the screen that you can't help feeling a range of emotions, all of which lie in the happy section of the emotion spectrum. If you haven't seen it, then I suggest you do so—fast.
