Recently, I watched three beautiful short films on YouTube (all part of the Zikoko Life Series), and I thought you needed to hear about them.
The Zikoko Life Series tells three powerful stories of women navigating love, sex, money, and life. I loved all three of them!
You know those quiet but compelling type of films, where they don’t try to do too much, but everything lands properly? These short films were exactly like that. I think the word to describe what made these short films stand out for me is intentionality. YouTube release or not, short film or not, they were made with such care, detail, and purpose.
The setting, the cinematography, the overall feel, they were so well done. You should see the use of colours! I don’t know technical movie stuff, but I know that the way colours worked in these films (the backgrounds, the contrast between their outfits and surroundings) was nothing short of impressive.
I liked the titles. Naming movies (especially on YouTube) has become something else, but these titles felt deliberate and thoughtful.
Casting and acting? Really good. You know how they say couples start to look alike in real life? The couples in this series were giving me that same vibe, like people who could be actual partners. They really looked alike to me. The pairing worked. These actors might not be your usual popular faces, but they owned their roles. Uzoamaka is a gem. I’ve always liked Michelle Dede — I love the way she delivers her lines. Tolu Asanu who played Mariam in What’s left of us also did really well.
The storytelling was good too. Each film was about 30 minutes long, and they used their time so well. The last short film I loved like this was Teju’s Tale by Teniola Zara King (You can check it out on YouTube if you have not seen it).
Amazing production values as well!
Quick note about each short film:
What’s Left of Us – I really liked the look and the shots. Best shot for me was the scene in the mosque. I liked how Mariam stood for herself!
Something Sweet – A romance between an older woman and a younger man in a Nigerian context can easily come off as forced, but I genuinely believed this one. Did you see his eyes the moment he saw her? There was one scene where he leaned in and said, “In case you have not noticed…” and I found myself muttering out loud, We noticed o, uncle, we noticed! He suited her so well. I saw him (Ogranya Jable Osai) for the first time in this film and I honestly went to look for his Instagram page after.
My Body, God’s Temple – We’ve seen other stories handle a similar topic, but I liked their approach, very simple. I liked the dialogue and the way they were delivered. Lines that would make you cringe on a normal day just seemed ….natural. I liked the sex scenes. This is probably one of the best sex scenes I’ve seen in a Nollywood project. To be very honest, I was actually anticipating it on their behalf because the chemistry was really good (in a quiet, restrained but believable way). They were sexy together. I really liked the final scene and there was one other scene where she went back to talk to church, I actually laughed out loud with her! (You’ll get it when you watch it).
They might not get millions of views on YouTube (though it’d be amazing if they did), but everyone involved in this project should be extremely proud. They are onto something good. Seeing projects like this makes me giddy with excitement and reignites my hope that Nollywood still has so much more to give.
The Zikoko Life Series also introduced us to three new young directors and I am all for supporting young filmmakers doing amazing work. Please take note of their names:
- Dika Ofoma (Something Sweet)
- Uzoamaka Power (My Body, God’s Temple)
- Victor Daniel & Olamide Adio (What’s Left of Us)
Looking forward to seeing more from them.
Have you seen any of these films? Which one is your favourite? If you haven’t watched them yet, you should check them out on YouTube today!
Read the review of the series To Kill A Monkey here.
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