MOVIE REVIEW: LOOKING FOR BAAMI

Honestly, I am not a fan of Nollywood, except of course, it is the RedTV or NdaniTV web series. Smiles. But this week, my sweetheart neighbour successfully lured me into watching the popular Looking for Baami, after various murmurs made by me for wanting to see some Yorubawood. Okay chill, I know Biodun Stephen is well known for her intriguing and well-plotted movies; from The Visit to Tiwass Baggage to Picture Perfect and now, Looking for Baami, Biodun has once again proven herself to be an intelligent scriptwriter.

Looking for Baami is one movie with psychological, emotional and moral effects/lessons. It reveals a society filled with intellectual and gender opportunists and manipulators; misuse of power and fear of failure and the unknown. This movie shows us a rich successful Nigerian youth, Femi Oshinowo who has just begun a successful Tech company and hopes to maintain a flawless and perfect business/public life. This journey gets interrupted with the appearance of a young lady who claims to be a daughter of his.

One would expect him to call her in and try to silent her as most people expect of the rich. In lieu of that, Femi ignores her at first, then, proceeds to arrest her because of her continuous appearance at his company. Someone gets a video of the scene- the police arresting a lady who shouts and claims to be a daughter of the popular Femi Oshinowo. This video gets leaked and viral; with everyone tagging Femi with all sort of name like a scum. Guess what!? Our popular YouTube blogger and movie analyst, Adenike, also featured amongst the name taggers and moral supporters!

Annoyed, Femi calls his exes and few sexual escapable ones to know if they probably had a child for him. All of which turned out negative and insulting. No, like, how would you feel if your one time one night stand man asks you if you had a child for him? On the other hand, Femis acclaimed daughter, Ajindes, story seems plausible to the police. The police invites Femi to confirm Ajindes story. Frightened, he calls for a DNA test and it turns out positive.

AJINDES MOTHERS STORY

Abebi, a young koko [papa] seller gets involved with a young university aspirant who came to the village on a visit to his grandmother. He promises to come back for her…after two weeks…a promise which she firmly held on to. Before leaving, he gives her #650; for which she needed #350 and had extra #300 for her personal use. Instead, Abebi keeps the #300 which she later gives her daughter, Ajinde, to return to him when she finds her father. After Femi leaves the village, she realises that she is pregnant and gives birth to Ajindeife but the intelligent and handsome Femi never comes back.

FEMI

Femi is a typical Nigerian Yoruba demon who is ever ready to chop-clean mouth. He later admits that he never loved Abebi but wanted to just have fun with her during his stay at the village; little wonder he did not think of the possibility of Abebi having a child for him as he called his exes. Femi claims to have become sexually active at the age of seventeen and Omoni, his thirteen year old selfs crush, was just …well… there. Laughs. What were you thinking? His is arrogant and he chooses his words with all precision. For instance, when he was told of Ajinde, he said, I will not succumb to cheap blackmail…so, fix it and is this the latest scam. Also, when, his girlfriend said, good thing she is an adult; an eye of the law. You want to have a relationship it her?…No child from the past is going to ruin my picture perfect life with you, he does not go violent with her. I was like, why would you ask him if he would have a relationship with his daughter? Of course, she is his daughter! That alone is a relationship, madam! Neither did he support her because of course, he is her father.

ABEBI

She is an African woman defeated by natural circumstances; blinded by love; tricked by lust. She was in love with the university aspirant, Femi Oshinowo. Their relationship turns out to be a trap for her; making her a prey for Femi lustful adventure. She did not get married to any man while claiming to love Femi dearly. She dedicated her time to training Ajinde in the making of koko and akara for sales. She died as she could not live a live worthy of her past-Femi Oshinowo.

AJINDEIFE

Ajinde, the main character in this play, is the alter ego of Bolanle Ninalowo in the picture perfect. Although, their storylines are different, they appear to be bound by the same circumstances-uneducated, poor background, societal limit/discrimination and naive. Also, they are bounded by the same value-to ensure that they work for what they spend; not by deceiving anyone, and to keep a good name. Even as a teenager, Ajinde is a beautiful and smart young lady. She sells and hawks koko in the car park in order to fend for herself and her dying mother. She also keeps friends like Kudi, one friend who believes in her, and also helped her to get bailed out of the prison. She claimed not to want anything from her father but to let him know of her existence. She is hardworking, persistent, respectful and invaluable. Ajindes consistent calls of Baami seemed to scare Femi of the possibility of his emergence into the fatherhood. Even when she is being shut out by Femi, she ensures that she slightly genuflects and loudly calls out the Baami to his disguise. When the video gets viral, Ajinde has to endure a night in the cell and the disgrace at the car park, while people say that she is trying to dupe a rich man while claiming to be his daughter. At the end, the DNA proves Femis paternity and he goes to plead for Ajindes forgiveness and a come-back. Ajinde said, when I say goodbye, I do not say good morning. Femi replies, why dont we then begin with a hello? How sweet! Ajinde smiles. Show your teeth!

Looking for Baami is a story on several peoples lips. One would begin to wonder on how many kids and teenagers who roam on the streets of Nigeria, begging for money/food; selling pure water, bottle water, drinks, snacks and cloths in traffics; or working as shop/house helps are just like Ajinde. She would probably have not found her father if her mother had not seen him on the TV before he died and had to return his #300. As much as there is no feasible solution to this timeless problem, we realises that everyone has a story; good or bad, and it would surely have an end.