Jail

In Jail, a young man, Folarin, finds himself in a cell for a crime that he does not know of and also did not commit. His friend, who is the actual perpetrator, leaves him in jail and leaves his family to worry while masquerading as a helper.

There are many delightful aspects of this movie but they all pale in comparison to Bimbo Akintola. Not a single scene of hers in this movie was without impact. She does not make a single movement for the sake of the movement alone, no line is said without meaning and no gesture is unnecessary. Especially in her final scene in this movie, even if you found yourself unmoved prior, that scene will tug at your heartstrings.

Rotimi Salami plays our male lead in Jail. He has enough control over his character but it never gets to a point where you are amazed by his performance. The performance isn’t bad though, it’s just hard for a little firefly to shine while standing by the sun (the sun here would be Bimbo Akintola). As far as performances go for the rest of the movie, no one act brought the quality down but no one act was overly impressive either.

The real gem of this movie is the storyline. Never have I felt as guilty about taking the little things in life for granted – things like being able to operate your business without getting carried by the police, the opportunity to make mistakes and have people still hear me out, the ability to just walk from one road to another without getting robbed. With the whole #EndSARS movement going on on social media, the movie couldn’t have been better timed. It highlights flaws in our system without seeming like it’s preaching a sermon with a megaphone.

Again, like in “Dreams“, Sesay has managed to tell a very small story that involves a real investment in the characters. And he and the writer have managed to achieve that feet. They have created characters that the audience is truly invested in, and the movie does not at any point get boring as movies of this kind tend to get.

Jail is a quick and immersive watch. If not for anything else, watch it for Bimbo Akintola’s performance.