REVIEW: Toyin Abraham’s ‘Malaika’ is a predictable yet endearing film

‘Malaika‘, a movie produced by Toyin Abraham Ajeyemi, hit cinemas across the country on December 22. The project was directed by Steve Olufemi Sodiya.

Given the mixed reception that followed her last movie, ‘Ijakumo’, deciding to watch Toyin’s latest offering might give pause for thought.

However, the series of teasers released for the movie appear intriguing and convincing. After seeing the film, I find it to be a good watch with a resonating plot, although there’s room for improvement.

SYNOPSIS

A barren woman attempts to remedy her situation with her friends and family while battling intense anger issues. She goes through a spiritual journey where she sees the light of her behaviour.

THE STRONG POINT OF THE FILM

Malaika’s major highlight is the endearing and relatable storyline. The movie shed light on relevant and important issues in society including childlessness, and the relationship between stepdaughters and stepmums.

The costume choice in the film is impressive, particularly that of Toyin’s character. The costume further made her job as a fashion designer more realistic and believable.

Another commendable aspect of the movie is the cast’s performance. The cast members were professional in bringing their characters to life. Aside from Toyin effectively bringing the character of a frustrated barren woman to life another cast that stood out for me is Adeshege Adeniji ‘Westy Baba’ who played a gang leader as well as Anne Kansiime who gave the film a comic side.

Also noteworthy was the film’s brilliant reflection on infertility in marriage. ‘Malaika’ vastly explores and points out some of the frustration that comes with infertility, and other unseen causes of fertility — more like the spiritual aspect. The film effectively passed the intended message.

THE WEAK POINT OF THE FILM

Despite the relatable plot of the film, I must say it lacks the element of suspense. It is quite predictable right after seeing a few scenes, with no twists or turns.

The sound effects used in the film are also questionable. Why was it done haphazardly? The sound effect was not creatively done as it made the film unnecessarily loud and some scenes ridiculous rather than realistic. An example is the fighting scene between the Njokus and the thugs.

The dragged storyline is another weakness of the film. The story’s pace is quite slow with blatant scenes. For instance, the carnival scene as well as the graduation scene.

The treatment and cause of infertility according to the film is not convincing. The character who is suffering from infertility has a doctor as her husband and not once was it shown that a medical solution was sought before she eventually went the spiritual way. I understand the effort to showcase the traditional religion however a more convincing route should have been used. Also, exploring more complex and biological causes of infertility since there is ‘an award-winning’ doctor character alongside the moral flaw used would have given the movie more depth, I think.

FINAL VERDICT

‘Maliaka’ gets a 7/10