‘FORGAWDSAKE’, ILE OWO IS NOT GIVING ANY VIBES
Joseph Omoniyi
Ile Owo is a supposed Nollywood horror movie, released for the cinema in 2022 and now streaming on Netflix. The film attempts to tell the story of a beautiful young nurse, Busola, who is luckless in love and finally meets the ‘perfect man’ – a handsome billionaire, Tunji, only to learn that his family harbours some deep, dark secrets. Ile Owo was written and directed by Dare Olaitan and executively produced by Kayode Kasum. The movie features Bukunmi Adeaga-Ilori, Ademola Adedoyin, Bisola Aiyeola, Sophie Alakija, Tayo Arimoro, Patrick Diabuah, Mofe Duncan, Temisan Emmanuel, Ikponmwosa Gold, Efa Iwara, Akin Lewis, Tina Mba, Immaculata Oko, and Jide ‘JBlaze’ Oyegbile.
CDP
One of the spines of every good story is the Central Dramatic Problem or what some call Question and how it creatively weaves it into the story’s engine to hook the audience in. It is the single driving force of the narrative. What is the central character’s objective, and will they succeed in getting or achieving it? This question must be known to the audience from act one, but it should not be easy to answer. Ile Owo’s CDP is either non-existent, weak or poorly set up, just like the entire structure of the story. The main character of this story is Busola, who wants to get married. “I supposed” because her goal is as weak as the plot’s spine. The main character is supposed to be the source of the CDP, and it comes from her goal. No stakes, no drive, just wanting a husband and “in sha Allah”. Nobody is ever going to be rooting for her to get a husband. So, when what seems like the dramatic question EVENTUALLY emerges: will she end up marrying ‘the man of her dreams’, Tunji, we don’t give a f*ck. Do we even know what her dreams look like?
The plot leaves more questions unanswered and makes the entire story confusing, and you would almost feel dizzy trying to make sense of it.
Plot/Sub-plot/Plants
Ile Owo is plagued with many potholes that make watching the movie excruciating. You would almost want your money back if you saw it at the cinema. The story begins with the tale of one great and wealthy man, Akanni Aduloju, popularly known as “Owo”, who was blessed with land, livestock, slaves and married many beautiful wives. But Owo lacks just one thing in his life, happiness, due to a strange illness that had weighed him down for several months which almost claimed his life.
So, searching for healing and immortality, he visited an old witch in a faraway land called “Fijabi”, who was so powerful that she destroyed a whole town by spitting inside a calabash. Unfortunately, it was too late for Owo, so said the witch. However, he can still do it for his children, who would need to renew the ritual of “Sagbadawe” every 25 years with the blood of a virgin. During this ritual, one son must complete the ritual to fulfil the cycle by presenting an innocent bride to the spirit of “Sagbadewe”. He was warned to ensure no one step is missed and that the cycle is not broken. Great story. Great prologue. Great setup, right? We are unclear about the details and the consequences of missing which step and breaking the cycle. But we would live with this, we believe. This tale, beautifully told with mixed media, intrigues us into this movie, hoping to get a good payoff.
We then meet our main character, Busola, a beautiful young Nurse and ‘prayerful Christian’, and her more prayerful mother, who gives the MFMish, binding and casting her sick father who is bedridden with a wound on his leg. We don’t know how he got the injury, and we would never understand. The plot leaves more questions unanswered and makes the entire story confusing, and you would almost feel dizzy trying to make sense of it. How is Busola’s father connected to the Ile Owo family and ritual? How is he communicating with the demon? Is he related to the Owo family? If yes, why then would he want his daughter used? What’s the logic behind his wound getting healed as Busola gets closer to Tunji? How did Tunji know Busola was a virgin just by seeing her on a dating app? Why did Busola’s father have to kill his wife to prevent her from praying against Sagbadewe? What are the rules of the world of this horror story? There are many more questions. I am just tired of mentioning it. It seems the makers want to be credited with making a Nollywood’s-Hollywood-horror-wanna-be that they forgot to create a good story.
Screenplay
The screenplay is not that bad, but since the storyteller of Ile Owo also shares the screenwriting credit, nothing is redeeming here as far as helping the plot drive is concerned. Many things feel forced, unrealistic, and unnecessary. Why are all the nurses at the hospital almost always getting proposed to? And that scene where Tunji and his “friends” put up an act inside a ward at the hospital is awkward, no, horrible! One Nurse busybody barging inside the ward to see Busola hitting on Tunji…how ‘forgawdsake‘!? And Busola immediately getting attracted to Tunji better be juju-driven because it does not add up. The waiter running his mouth to Busola about her fiancé’s cheating escapades is all shades of oddity and a ‘dry joke’ as a plot point. Also, using “I have a bad feeling about this” as to why Busola’s mother is against her relationship with Tunji is too convenient. And that thing the writer did with Tomisin’s hypnosis, like in Jordan Peel’s Get Out, is so off, please!
The language rendition of the dialogue holds it up a bit. But, aside from Jola talking too much unnecessarily, I like the dialoguing.
However, the movie’s inability to deliver a compelling story or provide a satisfying sense of payoffs at every point greatly diminishes its anticipated impact.
Character and Characterisation
The characterisation of Ile Owo is terrible. Characters show up with no dimension. No meaning, no background. No drive, no motivation. The acting is either over or under. Tina Mba, however, tried to bring out something of her character, but it feels typical and lacks particularisation
Directorial Prowess/Production Design/Post-production
Horror movies create dread, tension, and uneasiness about the unknown, using specific elements to create a memorable experience and an ingenious story idea. Sound design, jump scares, and a relentless pace make a genuinely terrifying experience while maintaining a strong focus on its story. Unfortunately, Ile Owo only manages to generate occasional background noises and a gloomy atmosphere to instil fear, but its storytelling is too weak.
Despite its flaws, the director of Ile Owo, who has a larger horror project in mind, demonstrates brilliance in attempting to tell a poignant tale while exploring the supernatural.
However, the movie’s inability to deliver a compelling story or provide a satisfying sense of payoffs at every point greatly diminishes its anticipated impact.
Dare Olaitan, the director, loses control over the story as more emphasis is placed on the horror elements, ultimately resulting in Ile Owo’s lack of memorability and falling short of expectations. And those scenes with some characters in the background are so overdone and irrelevant.
However, the production design of this movie is applaudable. It’s a pity it actually “misses the road”.
Lesson Learnt
The movie shows us that “all that glitters is not gold”.
Conclusion
This movie has great potential at its core. The setup is intriguing, and the attempt at horror is applaudable, but the execution is ‘headache-inflicting’. It is too terrible. Imagine driving on a pothole-plagued road.
Verdict
20/100- kindly return to film school.
Shoots.ng Score Guide
Every Item is 10 marks and 100% in all.
71- 100%= you are the bomb, be ready for Oscar
51-70%= thank you for ‘repping’ quality
31- 50%= you can do better, up your game
11-30%= Return to film school
01- 10%= Filming is not for you, look for another job
Picture credit: Internet
