A Song from the Dark

Nigerian from Nigeria here... I always say that if you want to make movies about Africans, please for Christ sakes, do it well. It is not about nailing Ankara prints to the wall and calling it a shrine (we don't do that).

The movie has all the issues that come up when an overly Westernized producer/director attempts to make a movie about Africans.

But they are forgiven, because the storyline makes up for every of the remaining blunders. And that is why I gave it a 4 star rating, because the story s compelling.

I love the performances by Wale Ojo and Nsi Ikpe-Etim. I also love Vanessa Vanderpuye. I think that she is talented, I just hope she won't be typecast in her future roles.

It was an enjoyable watch.

I like that the idea of the film is based on an evil spirit, but that is all I liked. The cast, filming, locations, script and effects were all beyond rubbish. I was expecting so much more from a film with 4.5/5 reviews, and I was sadly disappointed. The film looks like it was done on a budget of very little, and the lack of acting abilities from the cast proved it. I don't even want to talk about the appalling special effects, so I wont.

I am getting sick to the back teeth of these films coming up on my thread, with seemingly good reviews. They are independent films, and should be advertised as such instead of mixing them in with mainstream, that way people wouldn't waste their time watching them in the first place if they realized they weren't going to be cinematically great.

At the time I'm writing this, the film currently has four 10 Star written reviews and an overall rating of 2.4 Stars. While, IMO, the 10 Star reviews are being overly generous, I do not think that the film is being fairly judged by the 2.4 Star overall rating.

The film has an interesting concept and the main themes deal with spirits, possession, cursed marks, sigils and shamanism that are derived from Nigerian beliefs. You're given a limited, basic understanding of these beliefs and they are just enough to sorta guide you through the film.

The actors weren't overly impressive but they weren't bad either. After the first five minutes or so, the film has a rough, slow start to it but picks up towards the end and becomes a bit more interesting and engaging. Some of the special effects were decent and others were mediocre CGI.

I'm not gonna say it was awful because it held my interest but I cannot deny that I wanted it to give more than it did. It is lacking something special but I can't pinpoint what it needs.

I would say that if you're a fan of films about spirits and possession, you might find something different and interesting by watching this. However, if you are looking for something that guarantees you will have chills and thrills you might be a bit disappointed. If you plan on watching it, watch it for the concept not the horror aspect.

I absolutely enjoyed this movie The film stays with you and triggers certains emotions.visually it is so rich and technically beautifully made and i am so impressed with the cast. The director took some risks and it paid off. It is so important to see the style of the director through the tone and not just a simple horror movie that is cliche the storytelling was as good as the visuals and i personally cannot wait to see what Ogo has in store for his next project. A solid film that deserved all the awards and the recognition worldwide and a visual experience that leaves you wanting for more. Xx.

It's pretty interesting how they use the religious elements from the Nigerian culture, I bet the director/screenwriter know them well.

Sadly, characters are written poorly, acting is really awful and storytelling is really limited.

I appreciate the effort they put into special effects with a short budget, but that weird shaking cam and other visual elements feel so cheap and artificial that they take away any seriousness the film intents. They look cartoon-like instead of horror-like.

At its best, the movie is amateurish, at its worst, is like a high school/college project.

I hope this movie serves as an experience to enhance the abilities from all the involved.