The Story
There are quite a number of spoilers out there already and I have no intention of adding to those. However, I think it’s important for people to know that the story is told from the perspective of Rev Sis. Veronica, Adunni Ade, and a third eye view is employed to fill in the audience on the missing details a few times. Or at least, that’s how I would do it. So when reviews use words like mumbled or jumbled together for the narrative, I wonder what storytelling is to them. Perhaps, these reviewers were disappointed that it wasn’t their unusual Nollywood and Mr Macaroni dashing out Naira for cheap asses. No pun intended!
I wonder why Soole didn’t take the industry by storm when it came out last year. Perhaps the trailer didn’t help it’s course as well. It doesn’t capture the narrative for me. Going on Netflix may have helped the renewed enthusiasm but I feel the movie should have been an instant hit. I’ve equally heard it’s an overused Nollywood story by a few others, and I had to agree to disagree on that. I couldn’t tell because I’m very picky on the movies I see, hence I haven’t seen enough Nollywood movies in recent years to validate or otherwise the claim. If I had come across Soole on a very good day as a comedic movie, which both the title and trailer solidly reinforces, I probably may never be tempted to see it either.
I had a short film preproduction conversation the previous day with colleagues, from a script I’d written. And their feedbacks on the story are exactly how I now feel Soole has weighed, between two juggernauts: too much information and too little connections. Each opinion I totally respect but unjustifiable in my opinion. Like the critics of Soole, beyond the actions and dialogues, follow the visuals. Beyond the characters, follow their backstories as the narrative unravels before you.
The story is a pure mix of grit, comedy, action, thrills, culture, social awareness, education and nollywood. If I missed any other word that should be on that list, it would be synonymous to Art.
I think the very first problem with the movie is the fact that most people thought it to be comedy and/or was marketed as such. Granted, it carries quite a number comic relief in both the first and second acts unlike most non-comedic movies, yet comedy is nowhere near what I would call this beautiful piece. I guess the producers have their reason(s) anyways.
I saw the movie without much expectation, nor the intention to do a review but here we are. Thank you Adunni Ade, you earned a new diehard fan.
The INTERIOR Scenes
Oh I love to see a beautifully lit scene!
The entire film-look looks great and I could live with some of the few things that wasn’t so great; chief of which would be the bus stopping scenes to pick up passengers and every other time we see the bus moving. It’s either the driver is really a sluggish driver or the bus is being tolled away and the driver is just there to guide the steering wheel. Beyond that, the contrasty look of the interior scenes are nothing like I see often in Nollywood movies. Whether the director, Kayode Kasum, or the cinematographer made those decisions, I careless because their product is a work of art.
Did anyone equally notice the colour play in the entire movie as well? The bus leather, the actors costumes, the interior bus lighting, the doorsteps light of the bus where the driver, Shawn Faqua, was eating Suya or what was he eating again. The baby factory and it’s exterior scenes. Even the cast colour complexions. The only time I was conscious of a single frame having two similarly complexioned reoccurring characters is where the film had the two CTU officers in a shot at the tail end of the movie. The level of detail by the art director and the gaffer deserve commendations.
The Acts!
Like many Nigerian actors, the issue of overacting is always a thing and Soole fell into that trap as well. Maybe it’s just me but I find Lateef Adedimeji quite boring in the movie. I feel like he felt boring himself and went over the top to compensate. The bag scene with Lateef was overly stretched and I was tempted to fast forward the movie at that point. It was exhausting.
We saw too much of Sola Shobowale of old as well and that seemed unconvincing at some point when the shouting stepped up. Beyond his fake leg, I think Faqua was awesome and though I’ve never really taken Adunni has a brilliant actor, no better person could have played Veronica in this movie. It’s a role made for her if I may say. As for Femi Jacobs, he’s just a chip off the old block. Soole features similarly other great actors.
And did I mention the vfx?
It’s one of those few movies I enjoyed Nigerian vfx artists do some crazy stuffs. If I ever run into him/her/them, he/she/they should remind me I owe him/her/them a beer.
To warp up…
I’ll give the movie a 8. It’s almost as enjoyable as Anikulapo, or maybe even more so. That’s a conversation for another day. Right now however, Soole is a movie in the mould of The Shining by Stanley Kubrick that will only be appreciated decades later.
