Up North

In an industry obsessed with Lagos, Asaba and Abuja, Up North is a soothing breath of fresh air as it takes the narrative outside these boundaries and introduces the audience to a whole new world. However, that might be the only thing ‘fresh’ about this one.

The movie follows the story of the entitled son of a Lagos billionaire, Bassey (played by Banky W), whose father tries to make a man out of him upon his return from ‘the abroad’. His father, played by the revered Kanayo O. Kanayo, tries to get him involved in the family business upon his return and he fails. Afterwards he sends Bassey off to the North – Bauchi, specifically – for his NYSC training. While over there, the expected happens and Bassey meets new people, makes new friends and discovers new interest.

At a basic level, no singular aspect of the storyline here is surprising. As soon as you meet the boy-version of Bassey in the first few scenes of the movie, you expect that by the end he will transform into a man. As soon as you meet the character of Sadiq at NYSC camp, you know that he and Bassey will become friends. And once Rahama’s character steps in, you also cue the love interest. So with a storyline that is as completely devoid of originality as this one is, the least we ask for is immersion.

There’s a difference between a movie that’s about a story and a movie that is a story. A movie that is a story has the story ingrained in the fabric. The story has heart, it has soul, it reaches out to the audience and it makes a connection – Up North never quite gets here. With its weak writing, Up North teeters from being a coming of age story, to being a tourism story, to being a sports story, and/or a love story. When the Northern angle is also added, one might have expected the additional exposé angle where it shows an honest depiction of everyday life in the North. However, it seems the story here was too concerned about selling the tourism angle to ever pull back the sheets – even a little bit – on the problems of illiteracy, poverty and abuse plaguing the North. Kudos must be given to the team, however, for putting in the effort to place the lesser known beauty of the state on display; but with all the focus on surface details, the film looses out on an opportunity to tell a story that actually strikes a chord.

And this surface feeling pervades past the storyline and manifests in the performances as well. Bankole Wellington (aka Banky W) in the role of a protagonist here, is the film equivalent to giving a newly discovered afrobeats artist center stage at Coachella. Yes, you might be ready one day but today is not the day. Wellington’s performance lacks the emotional range to pull in an audience and create the kind of investment that makes for an unforgettable film. And the expectation that his history portraying the monotoned character of Dozie, from The Wedding Party series, will see him through here is nearly delusional. Wellington’s supports here – Ibrahim Suleiman and Rahama Sadau – are nothing more than sufficient. It’s hard to blame their actual performances though, because the writing itself doesn’t give them much to work with. Kanayo is effortless as the mulish father, Dokubo probably only has two lines in the entire film but the effects of the nostalgia she brings are enduring, and there’s something about Michelle Dede’s scenes that made them a thing to look forward to.

In the end, Up North doesn’t leave the audience with any kind of lasting impression about anything. It’s not invested enough in the sports for it to be a sports film. It doesn’t create enough of a connection with Bassey for it to strike a chord as a coming of age film. The love story is basically scribbled in at the end so we can barely call it a romance. The story excels mostly in being cursory. The most lasting impression here is one of the final scenes – the montage that follows the final victory is possibly the only memorable part of this film.