By Yetunde Adeyeri
The movie “mokalik” produced and directed by Kunle Afolayan. And written by Tunde Babalola. The plot centers around a young boy from the middle-class family who spends a day with as a lowly apprentice at a mechanic workshop just to see firsthand the life on the other side of the track. His father drops him off because he wasn’t doing well in school and so he figured he should take him to experience life as a mechanic.
Before I even get into the movie review itself, I want to commend Kunle Afolayan for a job well done. He has raised the bar again. We see his works getting better with each new production better than the last. I had a high expectation before seeing this movie and when it was over, not only was my expectation met, it was surpassed.
It features talented acts like Femi Adebayo, Fathia Balogun, Toni Afolayan, Darimisire Afolayan, Dapo Akinpelu, Wale Akorede, Simi Ogunleye, Tobi Bakre, Ayo Ogunshina, Lateef Oladimeji, Damilola Ogunsi, Rasak Olayiwola, Jide Opoola, and many others.
The trailer of this movie was aptly done. It defined exactly what a trailer is meant to deliver. It was informative and still managed to pique the interest of its audience. I like the mystery behind the trailer. Such that everything you think you can deduce from after watching it, you are in for a surprise when you see the full movie.
Watch it here
The cinematography was award-winning even for kunle Afolayan who always delivers great works. It shows that a lot of effort was put into post-production. The color shading, the creative camera angles, the ambiance of the atmosphere, everything was put into consideration to deliver visuals that looked so natural.
The casting was also commendable. All the cast fit right into their roles. They delivered their dialogues and mannerisms so naturally. I don’t any other person could have played a better role than Simi. She managed to capture the essence of what that role required. She forged a special relationship with that boy and was a big part of his self-discovery.
The story was simple and beautiful. I like the way it embodies exactly how life is for the artisans. The genius behind what they do. The subplots of that young girl being impregnated by one of the apprentices and the young man celebrating his freedom. The story was well-written. I especially liked the way it followed the boy as he moved through the different aspects of the mechanic workshop.
There is no doubt that Kunle Afolayan paid close attention to the detail in this movie. He did his homework and he did it well. The sound effects were in sync. It soaks the audience with an experience of a lifetime. Every clink and clang was well-produced.
There were some loopholes though. Like the angle of the Young apprentice “kamoru” who could identify airplanes by their sounds but was tagged as lazy. I didn’t see any need if there weren’t going to pursue that angle. The young boy ended up learning instantly, how to also identify airplanes. That was really questionable.
evirAnd also for a first-timer, he seemed to know a lot. Although it was mentioned that he liked to work with his hands, for a child without experience in a workshop, he was able to identify the tools and some other things quite easily. I also find it questionable that no one was able to discover that otunba is the chairman’s son And I find a little bit of fault with Tobi Bakre’s acting. It wasn’t believable. I will cut him some slack because this is the first time.
But despite all these, “MOKALIK” delivered an ending that was excellent. More or less predictable but this good.
Kudos to all the cast and crew that worked in the production of this movie. It will go down in history as one of the best works ever produced in Nigeria.
Watch the trailer here
