Award-winning Asurf Oluseyi‘s first full-length movie, Hakkunde, is a tale of Akande (Frank Donga/Kunle Idowu) a young graduate who struggles to get a job after Youth Service and his quest to self-discovery and fulfilment.
Akande lives with his older sister (Toyin Abraham) who brought him from the village to start a life in Lagos but they engage in constant fights over his joblessness.
When his frustrations mounts he decides to help himself to some of his sister’s cash and relocate to Kaduna to start cattle rearing.
He hits pay dirt with his blind leap to the North where he finds love and fulfilment.
The story starts with great shots of the hustle and bustle that characterise Lagos Island (Marina, TBS and Broad Street).
Oluseyi immediately puts the audience on the edge of their seats with the fast-paced opening scenes.
If the shots of Lagos are impressive then the ones at rural and laid-back Kaduna are simply breath-taking.
This is where the rest of the movie unfolds.
The transition to Kaduna from Lagos is seamless and enthralling. Beautiful Kaduna, with her mud houses and thatched roofing.
Hakkunde has superb dialogue (a mixture of English and two major Nigerian languages) and screenplay.
The absence of the usual retinue of an A-list cast is hardly noticeable due to the delivery of those employed. For instance, Frank Donga’s facial expression after upending an egg vendor in one of the opening scenes is just priceless. Not all A-list actors can get that right. Also, his one-liners are delivered to perfection.
Toyin (Aimakhu) Abraham got her role spot on. It was my first time of seeing her in a movie (No, I didn’t see Alakada or the sequel) and she blew me away.
The movie gets full marks for music and costume. The soundtrack is very good. Also, the adverts tallied this time with the story.
The most striking shots are the ones at the Kajuru Castle in Kaduna (I did my research). The castle has a dungeon, armoury and swimming pool. It is a sight to behold.
A few Nigerian artistes have actually shot their music videos there. Asurf proves here that we do not have to take Nollywood to South Africa, Jamaica or Atlanta (yes, this is a dig at Ayo “AY” Makun).
With Hakkunde, Oluseyi, a self-taught filmmaker, justifies his AMCVA award with a simple but masterfully told Nigerian story with some take-home lessons.
I particularly appreciate the message about the dangers of codeine abuse and hope that fresh graduates stop seeing Lagos as the only Nigerian city where one can achieve their dreams.
Also starring Ali Nuhu, Rahama Sadau and Seyi Law among others, Hakkunde is one of the most inspiring Nollywood stories in recent time.
The most remarkable fact about this movie is that it is Nigeria’s first crowd funded movie (cash donations and production assistance).
It gets full marks for cinematography.
Rating: 4 stars (Out of 5).
