The Moon is a Gentle Lover

( A critical evaluation of  ‘Anikulapo’)

‘Dele Oladipupo (C) 2024

‘Anikulapo’ is a 2022 fantasy set in the 17th century.  It is based on the premise that the Akala, a mythical bird, has the power to bring the dead back to life. It follows the trajectory of a young man,  Saro, who travels from Gbongan to Oyo in search of a better life. He becomes , at first, the gigolo of a woman who has both immense entrepreneurial inclination and political clout. Her influence opens doors to him and he finds himself weaving Aso-ofi for the Alaafin’s wives. He falls in love with the King’s youngest wife . At the same time, Princess Owowunmi also takes a huge liking to him. Caught in this web, he is unable to navigate the stormy waters and he loses his life in the process. Like the proverbial cat with nine lives, he cheats death and gets the chance to start all over again. This time, he becomes a powerful man who possesses the supernatural  ability to make the dead come back to life. This is how the movie gets its title: ‘Anikulapo’, the one who has death in his pouch.

The movie is significant for many reasons. First, it is like some sort of conclave which parades actors from the 80s to the present. There are such huge names as: Kareem Adepoju, Fathia Balogun, Chief Yemi Elebuibon, Taiwo Hassan, Moji Afolayan,  Sola Sobowale,  Sunday Omobolanle and of course, much younger folks like: Bimbo Ademoye, Sola Remi, Eyiyemi Afolayan, Ariyike Owolagaba and Adebowale Adedayo. That’s not to even mention the inclusion of Hollywood heavy weight, Akeem Kae-Kazeem. In 2022, the movie became the most watched movie on Netflix in Nigeria and within weeks of its release,  it had amassed more than 9 million views world wide.

Since then, ‘Anikulapo’ has garnered a whole lot of great reviews. Nearly everyone agrees that it is  impressive and that Kunle Afolayan deserves a seat among Nollywood’s greatest producers. It bears stating, in spite of the foregoing, that there is almost always something to improve on in good work of art. But first, let’s examine some of the strengths of this movie. ‘Anikulapo’ is a departure from the norm in many respects. The plot ,itself, is circular.  It begins from the end, moves to the beginning and finally to the end. This kind of plot is usually a pointer to the inevitability of doom. The old actors showed yet again that they may be old, but they’re no push overs. Perhaps the finest of them is Sola Sobowale. Sometimes, it seems as though she forgets it is just a movie role. Her dexterity is unquestionable. The movie takes us back in time and explains that the practice of burying corpses began with modernisation. This is something many of us do not know. The ancient practice was to make the corpses rest their backs ( fi eyin ti) This certainly provides the justification for the Akala’s intervention. It also teaches an important lesson in the practice of burying the dead that way as well as the justification for such an act. There are a few great scenes and dialogue in the movie. By far the most spectacular scene for me was when Arolake realises that Saro was the one who impregnated Omowon. She caught a fleeting look and knew what had transpired instantly. No other scene demonstrated the showing method as skillfully as this.

Many of the issues raised in the movie are timeless. Love, in its varying manifestations, stands at the heart of the movie. It is somewhat difficult to tell whether Saro understood the meaning of  love or whether it was merely the curves of a woman that tickled him. The ease with which he welcomed Awarun to his bed shows he was clearly no stranger to the game. Later on, at the zenith of his power and arrogance,  he couldn’t get his mind off Omowon’s well formed backside. One other notable issue is that love is often not enough to sustain a marriage. This plays out amply between Saro and Arolake. It would ,perhaps, be enough if both partners feel exactly the same way about each other. Even this, is hypothetical. Arolake hands the power of the Akala to Saro and the man practically turned himself into a deity. He marries other women and abuses Arolake physically. 

The presence of Akeem Kae-kazeem in the movie certainly lends international credence to the work.  He was surprisingly cast in the mould of a mute king and that’s a hard pill to swallow. Even if a king has vowed never to speak with mortals, it is doubtful, he’ll respect that resolution upon the death of his only heir. That part in the movie is completely jarring. Asides that, the character of Arolake is confusing. From the outset, she is portrayed as a queen who is unloved and mops about the palace. So, we pity her. Our sympathy also lies with her because she is the butt of derision on account of her childlessness. She pretends she is on her monthly cycle when the king comes to her room, yet when it is the turn of one of the other queens to have the king in her room, Arolake feigns illness to lure the king to her bed. Again, she sets her eyes on Saro for the first time and makes love to him that same day in the bush. While it is not an impossibility, it is  doubtful queens throw themselves at strangers this easily in ancient times. The whole affair was also a disaster waiting to happen because Awarun knew about it from the beginning. If she knew, how many more knew about it then? Princess Omowunmi also found them with ease in spite of Arolake’s confident boast that she covered her tracks well. These lapses beggar belief.

Awarun is an important chief in the kingdom yet she frolicks in bed with younger men. When pitched with Queen Aroloke’s almost maniacal sex drive , one wonders whether there is something the History texts have missed. Is the society in ancient times that decadent? Is this just some sort of condiment added to the work? It’s impossible not to also notice that when Awarun climbed into Saro’s bed for the first time, she stayed on top of him. Arolake also stayed on top of Saro while making love to him in the bush. Is there some kind of power dynamics at play here? Is Kunle Afolayan trying to remind us that a woman owns her body and she is at liberty to do whatever she pleases with it or perhaps that sex could be a weapon?

These infelicities, however tangential they may seem, shouldn’t be shoved aside.  A story teller is a god of some sort and that’s a given. He can rupture time and blur the line between fiction and fact. In doing these,  it is important to be mindful of the ‘little foxes’.