The Griot Review… beautiful story told in a mundane way
Year: 2021
Genre: Period, Romance, Drama
Cast: Lateef Adedimeji, Goodness Emmanuel, Temilolu Fosudo, Imoh Eboh, Toyin Oshinaike, Kassim Abiodun, Funso Adeolu, Yewande Adekoya, Rita Edward, Oladapo Gbadimosi, Opeyemi Dada
Director: Adeoluwa Owu
Writer: Temilolu Fosudo, Dapo Lanre-Badmus
Cinematographer: Adeoluwa Owu
Summary: Meet Lakunle, the shyest storyteller in Wakajaye village, who has a crush on Tiwa, a renowned singer. In order to make a way into Tiwa’s heart, Lakunle summons the assistance of his friend who has hidden intentions
Overall Rating: Nuts
Please don’t lose heart upon seeing the ‘Nuts’ grade.
The Griot is a beautiful story worth watching, the downside mainly comes from the editing and screenwriting which weakened the great potential of this film. Other than that, we enjoyed it!
~Worth Watching~
Delicious
—Oh goodness! The stress that Lakunle (Lateef Adedimeji) experienced in front of Tiwa gave us stress 😂 The guy became so paralyzed and disturbed that we almost wanted to slap the shyness out of his body! We were screaming at him “Lakunle, just SPEAK to the girl!!! Just say something, PLEASE.”
However, we have to admit that Lakunle was a very cute-looking shy man, he was gentle, and…we loved him 😍
—The soundtrack was a work of art, powerful voices filled with so much passion that was radiated throughout the movie
—Lakunle’s dad (Toyin Oshinaike) cannot go unnoticed; the little mannerisms he added here and there made us laugh. He had such a good spirit, not shaming his son for his shyness but rather hailing and cheering him up, and even fabricating ridiculous lies so Lakunle could talk to Tiwa (Goodness Emmanuel)
—The chemistry between Tiwa and Lakunle was so beautiful to behold. Tiwa was, without a doubt, a source of strength and armor for Lakunle. The respect they had for each other was mmm…
—That opening scene of the tale of a mermaid coming out of the river was so inviting. The visual effects on the mermaid lured us to stick around
Bland
—The Griot is a slow-paced movie; it is an ordinary story about ordinary people going through ordinary life without any extravagant ingredients
—The B-roll footage was quick and didn’t provide much context or visual interest to the film. The editing work wasn’t carried out in a smooth manner to “tell us a story”. Plus, the fading transition was overused and scenes cut abruptly
—What era is The Griot taking place in? Because characters were using modern English expressions and had modern furniture, yet they were still using coin pouches and petrol lamps when there was clearly electricity lighting the streets and houses
—Though Lakunle was a talented storyteller, we never got to hear him narrate a tale (just bits and pieces), and when an occasion eventually arose, the scene was cut off 😖
—The ending, sadly, had no proper closure; it was so sudden as if we were abandoned midway…
Viewers’ Guide
Language: none Violence:
Trailer
Available on
(Audio:: English; English Subtitles: Yes)
