THE GRIOT: MOVIE REVIEW AND DOWLOAD
Movie name: The Griot
Directed by: Adeoluwa Owu
Written by: Temilolu Fosudo, and Dapo Lanre-Badmus
Produced by: Goodness Emmanuel, Adeoluwa Owu, Tunji Jamiu, Genoveva Umeh
Released year: 2021
The Griot is a 2021 Nollywood movie available on Netflix. It’s a fictional story with early Yoruba setting, it’s an interesting movie that promotes the culture and traditions of the Yoruba tribe. It’s a tale of a shy but talented storyteller (Lakunle) who got betrayed by his best friend (Sanmi) because of a lady (Tiwa) they both love.
The movie started out with Sanmi narrating one of Lakunle’s stories, and I was indeed captivated by the story. Temiloluwa really started off strong with his acting prowess. His narration of the story was really enchanting.
I would also commend Tiwa, her singing scenes compared to other Nollywood films were nice to listen to and seemed real, especially during when Lakunle requested her to sing him a song. It’s a nice movie with a folktale vibe.
Though the movie depicts the ancient Yoruba lifestyle, I noticed some modern attire such as the ladies in modern gowns, and one of the drummers was wearing a silver-plated ring band, it was quite confusing.
Lateef’s shy character, Lakunle, was interesting to watch, however, it almost outdid itself to a point of becoming slightly annoying in some scenes. Another bone of contention would be the ill King that didn’t seem to look sick at all, he rather seemed handsome and fit-looking as always.
I won’t fail to mention that the gathering for the two ceremonies was quite poor in the movie, especially the second celebration which was in remembrance of the former King. The ceremony was said to be a big one, yet I could literally count the number of people that gathered in the little courtyard for the ceremony, it felt like a stage play.
Last but not least is the ending scene. Granted that the nice loving tale was scripted to end on a sad note, nonetheless, it could have been better and more convincing. If Tiwa was to die, at least Sanmi should have been arrested to face the penalty of killing.
Overall, The Griot is an interesting combo of fictional tale, drama, romance, little action and thrill, comedy and tragedy, all interwoven with a folktale feel. Kudos to the cinematographers and production team for the good quality movie. Not forgetting the cast for their best acts, and the scriptwriter for birthing a nice story.
It’s quite captivating and would request you to check it out!
Our rating goes for a 6/10
