‘…A great story, a great hero, and an overwhelming challenge of filmmaking to bring to life. The great news is that this film succeeds, robustly not just in the accuracy of its history, storytelling, performances, and technical quality, but as an amazing cultural experience. It travels in time through reminiscences and flashbacks in a timeless flow; an emphatic showcase of mastery by the filmmaker and her team’
THERE is a very good reason why it is whispered among cineasts that a historical period piece is often where the best filmmakers confront nemesis in real-time. Especially if the subject is a legend enshrined safely in the womb of history. And it makes perfect sense, in a sense. The success of a period film first and foremost is the result of a thousand choices in the details of research, history, culture, architecture, music, language, fashion, faces, spaces, and places that ought to transport us back in time, authentically enough for us to willfully suspend disbelief. And to enter into this moment of time, called the past, confronted by the limitations and humanity of characters we only knew as legends, heroes, and gods from the pages of history. In a period film, the past is not a prologue. It is not context. It is not even the past. Because to be authentic it must be truthful enough to be present for the viewer emotionally, in the present. And to make us feel the crisis, the fear, the uncertainty, the choices, the chaos, and the courage of our characters in the dimensions of reality. Choosing to make such a film is not for the faint-hearted. The odds of a triumphant outcome would leave a betting man unsure of his chances. And that is the very choice our brave award-winning filmmaker Bolanle Austin-Peters makes in her new film, a historical biopic FUNMILAYO RANSOME-KUTI.
And yes, BAP slays the dragon with aplomb.
The pace is quick. We immerse seamlessly in colonial Abeokuta in Egbaland. And the summary of the heart of the film is no surprise because it is already well known from our history books. The legendary profile of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti is that of a feminist and leader who campaigned against excessive taxation of market women in colonial Abeokuta. She led women in protests to the authorities seeking to abolish the sales tax and the provocative ‘water tax’ imposed by the Alake of Egbaland on behalf of the colonial administration. The protests galvanised a movement in 1947 that eventually led to the temporary abdication of the King in 1949.
It was a genuine heroic feat of leadership that also signposted the path of political and economic emancipation for women in Nigeria. And for this generation of Nigerians, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti’s legend is codified by the fact that she is the mother of the legendary afrobeat creator Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and the same one who was fatally injured when supposed “unknown soldiers” burnt down Fela’s Kalakuta Republic residence in Lagos.
A great story, a great hero, and an overwhelming challenge of filmmaking to bring to life. The great news is that this film succeeds, robustly not just in the accuracy of its history, storytelling, performances, and technical quality, but as an amazing cultural experience. It travels in time through reminiscences and flashbacks in a timeless flow; an emphatic showcase of mastery by the filmmaker and her team.
FUNMILAYO presents us with a wealth of detailed and deliberate representations of an important slice of Nigerian history. It is a visual feast that does not merely transform research into reality but spreads its wings in heartwarming directions. The cameo appearances by the grandchildren of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti were a cute wink and salute confirming the working partnership with the family on the project. The restored actual family home of the Ransome-Kutis, was a location of the film, bringing us into the authentic spaces Funmilayo lived. Even the Director appeared as a teacher and a founding member of the Abeokuta Women’s club. The lush grounds of Abeokuta Grammar school, the architecture of the Alake’s palace, or the offices of the Divisional Colonial Officer with the ubiquitous name of Mr. Dundee, all in themselves are subliminal cue points that round off this film as a joyful tour-de-force for any history buff. And of course, the key turning points of the story are framed majestically by the Olumo rock itself, the everlasting signature presence in the history of Abeokuta.
Above and beyond, however, is that this film delivers in its emotive essence thanks to the surreal quality of performances. Joke Silva, Kehinde Bankole, Adebayo Salami, Jide Kosoko, Bukky Ogunnote and several others dazzle in this film with nuance in their character depiction that elevates what we know of their work by several notches. Something about this story called out to the greatness in each of these actors and yes they answered loud and clear. Even the faces of the many extras playing the market women were profiles of the authenticity of lived-in faces. And the rich and detailed production design gave the spacial context with which the film grips our imaginations early, and simply never let go. Thus we experience this film in rich multilayered dimensions.
In the end, this film will be historically significant not because of how well it represents the past but how powerfully it inspires our future. Because FUNMILAYO is a love story, a story of self-discovery, self-assertion. It is also a hero’s tale inspiring in us the courage to speak truth to power and the commitment to a cause bigger than self. FUNMILAYO is also an important idea. Change is possible when we choose to act. An idea that the only ceiling to leave unbroken is the sky and that environmental, cultural, and political bias only calls to the warrior within us to stand. FUNMILAYO is simply a profound and provocative cinematic experience. And by all measure an artistic success.
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