Hi guys,
Happy Friday!
A few days back, I was scrolling through my Twitter timeline as usual and I came across someone's quoted tweet saying a certain video made them cry. Out of curiosity, I open the original tweet and found out that the video was actually a short film called "Bariga Sugar" and was Nigerian too. Just because I couldn't ignore anything film, I watched the video and had my won share of waterworks.
My version of a background:
The short film is a plot that focuses on the lives of kids whose mothers are in the prostitution business. How they think, what they think of their mothers and their "numerous friends", their place in an environment filled with people in the same business and if they even aspire to something bigger or something at all. It's also about friendship in its purest form.
Review:
Let me just hint you guys; I don't have any concerns about this short film. Sometimes, you watch a movie because you just want to know what story is behind it, sometimes you watch it because you want to do a review. This film didn't even give me any cause to ask questions like: "Why is she looking too old for a young, vibrant and sexy lady?".
The costuming, location, sound, musical interludes, props, acting, dialogue was on point. Don't even get me started on the dialogue! It wasn't much, but any time there was a dialogue, my heart fluttered to hear it because it was so little and had so much meaning. When there was no dialogue, the actions, expressions and feel of the environment carried an even larger meaning. You forget that you're watching a movie, it's like this is something happening outside your window.
The hero and heroine were kids I had never even seen in a movie and they were just amazing. They reminded me of the kid hero in Beasts of No Nation. This is one type of hard work you just feel in your body and soul because you know they paid EVERY attention to detail. The short film was produced by Ifeoma N Chukwuogo (@FizzyThatcher on Twitter) and I have embedded the movie here, so you can watch it and ponder on the message, just like I did. You can also search "Bariga Sugar" on YouTube, any one that works for you as long as you watch it. A huge kudos to the cast and crew. You guys are awesome!
Have you seen Bariga Sugar already? What did you think? Let's talk about it in the comments!
NB: I don't know anyone of the cast or crew personally, but I'm writing about it because I think good work needs great recognition and this short film needs more exposure than it already has, so please like, subscribe and share as much as you can for others too. Also, I'm super proud it's Nigerian!
This is NOT a sponsored post.
Till Monday, guys
xx
2 comments
The story touched on so many things. Apart from being a depiction of a normal day to day living of prostitutes, it also depicted love, friendship, hustle, ghetto livelihood, and societal influence.
The scenes and sceneries are quite real. The 'yard' where the prostitutes stays, Barigar Sugar's beer parlour, etc are good examples.
I don't know if anyone noticed that very brief exterior scene where a lady is captured carrying a young child of about 12 months old off the road. Do you also noticed the car approaching towards the baby? That's a pure representation of a ghetto, a place like bariga.
Good cinematography. Shots and shot composition are on sprint.
Hannatu and Jamil... They should be given an award for their performances. I love Jamil's boldness, God he's bold! They both add sugar to the story. Two innocent but not naive kids,rejected by their peers because of the 'trade' of their parents. They are the definition of a pure friendship. They look past their parents differences and defy their rules to be together. Jamil was a symbol of hope and renaissance for Hannatu. A brilliant and inspired boy. I hope Hannatu keeps the newly found urge for books going.
But I'm afraid for hannatu. She wants to grow up and be like Bariga Sugar. Is her decision due to her age or is it that her thought pattern has been impaired by what she sees everyday?
Jamil corrected her anyways, he said he was not referring to queens like Bariga Sugar, I pray hannatu take a clue from that.
The story is fantastically told!
Thank you so much, Kareem! I really loved that Ese met Jamil, who was able to change her perspective on things. Thanks for your input too, I'm really glad you loved it and took time to talk about why just like I did.
Please don't stop sharing, xx
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