Oga Bolaji

Think of any simple story that you love. Obviously right now I am not talking about any movie that has twists upon twists and sub-plots upon sub-plots. I am talking about the simplest of movies with the simplest of premises. Those movies that you love intensely but you look back on and cannot decipher what exactly about it caused you to feel so strongly. Well, that’s what “Oga Bolaji” aims for but doesn’t quite meet.

Oga Bolaji is the story of Bolaji (played by Ikponmwosa Gold), a simple man who lives a simple life until an event around him turns him on his head. One day on his way to work, Bolaji watches as mini-touts (aka toutish children) harass and steal oranges from a young girl, Ajua,who sells by the bus stop. Bolaji feels bad for her and invites her to come over to his place of work later in the day so that he can pay her for her losses. On her way there, an incident occurs and she looses her life. Bolaji then feels immense guilt that leads him into new relationships and new paths in life.

If the movie Oga Bolaji worked as I assume it was imagined it would be a transcendent story that hooks you from start to finish. A simple story that follows the evolution of a man from goal-lessness, to remorse, to responsibility, to love and much else. We would watch and be enraptured by the relationships built, by the ties between friends and the ties between neighbors, the ties between lovers and the ties between mother and son. If it worked as intended, it would have been a beautiful story about simple people living their simple lives but yet manage to draw you in and create a strong investment with you. Unfortunately, by the end of the movie the attempt is evident but the aim is not achieved.

What the movie does triumph at though is displaying the extent of skill held by those involved. Ikponmwosa Gold who plays Oga Bolaji is an actor that one might not have noticed previously but will be hard to ignore now. He manages to carry the audience around with him effortlessly as though he’s just living his regular life and we happen to have access to it. Gregory Ojefua is resplendent as our danfo driver best friend. Time and time again he proves that he cannot be boxed in. Omawumi Dada does a fair job of her role as Victoria and convinces the audience.

All the performances here are the best part of the movie, second only to that is the picture. The movie has some very original, raw and beautiful shots of Lagos that’s different from what we are used to seeing in everyday nollywood.

However, no matter what a movie does and before all else it should entertain. Be it Roots or The Hangover or Memoirs of a Geisha or Blue Jasmine, a movie that doesn’t capture the audiences attention is always a hard sell.