by Temiloluwa Johnson
You swallow a pill and you can attest to its potency right from the taste to the chain of reaction your body gives. When a movie is titled Swallow, you begin to draw similarities. What do you swallow? A pill? Your ego? Abuses? Secrets? What exactly? Whatever it is, would it be worth swallowing?
The movie directed by filmmaker Kunle Afolayan therefore begs the question, is Swallow potent? Is it a good pill?
There’s a reaction that tells, agreeably all viewers, that it’s not exactly what we expected.
Swallow was released on Netflix on October 1st, 2021 the Independence day for Nigerians. This intentionality is familiar as Kunle Afolayan did the same with the “October 1st” movie of 2014. The beauty of the movie is mostly in its ingenuity and its daring nature, this movie was one that had it all. It is an adaptation of the novel written by Sefi Atta; who also wrote the screenplay. The casts of the movie included Eniola “Niyiola” Akinbo, Ijeoma Grace Agu, Kelvin Ikeduba, Chioma Akpotha, Deyemi Okanlawon, Omotunde Akinbowale and Eniola Badmus.
Kunle is known for casting actors that have little to no acting career, hence the casting of “Niyola” – a Nigerian singer- as the main character of the movie. Many would argue that she was a wrong pick for the role, I’ll say she tried, considering the fact that she wasn’t an “actor”. She didn’t deliver her emotions intensely as it should have been but she did a decent job delivering it as natural as she could.
There was zero tension, ingenuity and steadiness in Swallow— it was almost like it never happened. It won’t be far-fetched if some found it boring, as I did too. Midway into it, we’ll discover the 128minutes long movie could have delivered the same result in less time. However, I was intrigued with the potential that the movie had from the beginning, the music, the feels, the creative touch and of course, the daring lines.
The movie shows the popular Lagos and the feel during the 80s. It introduced the lifestyle of Nigerians then and draws one into the scenes of the 1980s. It furthered on the lives of a naive Tolani (casted by Niyola) and her shrewd friend, Rose. Tolani narrated the ordeals right from the beginning with zero emotion. How they got involved with drug smuggling and sprinkles of their personal struggles just before their involvement. Vital social issues like misogyny, poverty, patriarchal system and drug trafficking were expressed in the movie. Kunle does well in this department— social commentary movies.
For a movie tied with social issues, it is weak, surface-focused and beautifully flat. Details are lost in transit and impacts were not made. None of the social topics were taken to heart, it appeared like they were just grazed through- this is sad. It lacks depth but the effort is glaring.
“Swallow” was genuine and natural. It is like being in a scene that unfolds the lives of people. Wondering how it turns out in an indifferent manner. My sentiment for Kunle Afolayan was the only thing that made me wait to see how it really turns out at the end.
Some dialogues in the movie were completely unnecessary and extended, I wondered for a while how it is connected to the plot that I see unfolding before my eyes. I came to the conclusion, as it is apparent, that the focus was on the cinematography and scenery of the movie, not the plot or even character development. Albeit, kudos to Rose; Tolani’s roommate who bodied her role and supported the main character almost profoundly.
So the question..
Was Swallow a good pill to swallow?
I’ll say yes, it was. However, it is that tasteless pill that has a fine wrap and is popular. It works anyway, steadily but you might have felt better without using it too.
Swallow could have been more but I felt nothing. This movie has a good storyline but weak execution. In a rating system, I’ll give it a 5 out of 10- mainly for the effort. It is that movie you watch while doing multiple things all at once without putting your heart to it.