As a caveat, Oloture is not for the faint of heart — you can almost smell the alcohol, cigarettes, and sweat from the filthy, violent men as you pace through the dark prostitute bars. It delves into a society’s depths of exploited women and the brutality they face. While the story is made up, the message is clear: sex trafficking is a terrible crime against humanity and is contemporary slavery.
The Story
The story follows Oloture, a journalist from Lagos, Nigeria, who fearlessly joins a prostitute ring undercover to conduct research. The film depicts the dangers she encounters while living a double life to get the scoop. She lives with other sex workers who all work for the same madam. She gets thrown too deep into the mix in her effort to recount the story, and things spiral swiftly out of control. The longer she stays, the riskier it gets – will she ever get out?
Adapted from a screenplay, this film has a good balance of terrifying and hopeful scenes that keep you on the edge of your seat.
While the protagonist’s motivation is to gain an inside scoop, the reality is that human trafficking channels are largely systematic — deeply rooted by those in power, shackling those who resist into frightened silence. The writer uses this reality to shock audiences by presenting a graphic account of the violence and total contempt for women and human life. While passing through, Oloture is not to be observed. Instead, it necessitates a period to absorb the character’s experiences and those of the journalist’s colleagues.
The Actors
It was fascinating to witness Sharon Ooja play a completely different type of character than what we’re used to seeing. She put a lot of effort into portraying this persona and did an incredible job doing so. Omowunmi Dada is one of my favourite actors to watch since she can play a wide range of roles. The same can be said for Omoni Oboli, another versatile actor who can play various roles and personalities. The casting director did a great job with these critical characters.
The Cast
The cast includes some of Nigeria’s best actors and actresses, including:
Sharon Ooja- Ehi
Omowunmi Dada – Linda
Blossom Chukwujekwu- Emeka
Omoni Oboli – Alero
Ikechukwu Onunaku – Chuks,
Kemi Lala Akindoju – Blessing
Wofai Fada – Vanessa
…together with many other talents on display.
Technical Construction
The movie pallet is crazy! Every scene is bursting in an array, grabbing your attention right away. The art design was fantastic; the sets were created as genuine as possible, giving the characters and scenes an unscripted, naturalistic sense. Kenneth Gyang did a tremendous job bringing this story to life.
This Netflix original is shot in an ultra-personal style that makes you uncomfortable. Some of the directing and shots are questionable. It makes you wonder if they were working with a limited budget — violent scenes that feel tired and forced. This dampens the experience; the implied violence is ironically more effective than when they tried to get away with sound effects poor choreography.
Conclusion
I feel that sex labour and human trafficking in Nigeria are issues that should be highlighted more; there aren’t many Nollywood films that deal with them. I appreciated how uncensored the story was. In my opinion, there is no honest way to convey a clear picture of the industry without being as detailed as possible. With that said, I believe the plot should have started earlier or later, and I’ll explain why. Beginning the story with how Ehi became an undercover sex worker would have been more enlightening and given us more context into how one goes about doing this. It could also have started with Ehi’s desire to travel to Europe to advance her novel. I think the climax also missed its mark by arriving a little too late. The film’s intensity and suspense only peaked in the final thirty minutes. It isn’t easy to be satisfied.
Rating
Oloture is a film worth watching. It significantly brings to light the many horrible experiences that Nigerian women face. I can’t help but wonder about numerous unreported stories of “mute and faceless women”. This is the perfect movie for Saturday night; it should be at the top of your list!
Out of 10, I’d say an 8.
