There are many stories that hinge on spiritual superstition that have taken root in the collective mind of Nigerians, variations of urban legends that are passed on — characters, setting, and consequences changing with every iteration. Juju Stories takes three of these kinds of stories and brings them to the screen with a raw grounded energy and a strong sense of place.
Directed by Michael Omonua, C. J. Obasi, and Abba Makama (collectively known as the Surreal 16), this three part feature film tells the story of a woman who uses juju to capture her perfect partner in Love Potion, a man who bears supernatural consequences after picking money from the road in Yam, and a woman who will go to any lengths to keep her friendship in Suffer the Witch. None of these stories are particularly new, but in the tradition of passing them down, the directors have created their versions for the screen.
The first story, Love Potion, is quiet in the way it moves from frame to frame following Mercy (Belinda Agedah), an aspiring author, who uses a love potion to capture the heart of Leonard (Paul Utomi), a man she met at a party. The dialogue in this story is strong, with the pidgin English being sometimes awkward but still one of the most genuine you will find on screen. The actors’ performance manages to convince you to follow this timeless story and in the end you will be left somewhat convinced that love potions will give you the person you want, but not the projection of them you have created in your mind.
There is a mysterious tension that builds in the second story, Yam. The green-haired street urchin, played by Don Ekwuazi with an accurate performance, ends up in an unfortunate situation to the torment of Tohfik (Elvis Poko), a vulcanizer clashing with his girlfriend. This story wields music deftly, using it to double the tension with a juxtaposition of a section of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and the frantic drums of the film’s soundtrack. It also lightly touches themes of elitism and poverty while using imagery to frame the story.
A witch named Joy, played by Nengi Adoki who you will both be enthralled by and scared of, anchors the third story — Suffer the Witch. Joy is willing to convince herself that fear is love as long as she keeps the attention of her crush, Chinwe (Bukola Oladipupo). There is a pivotal scene in this story that is expected but handled in a stunning and effective manner, alluding to the spiritual foundation of the film. The acting in this part shines brightest in the way Joy’s casual terror bounces off Chinwe’s paralyzing fear.
Juju Stories is a filmmaker’s bingo card as the influences from established directors — a Jordan Peele sunken place reference and editing reminiscent of Darren Aronofsky’s Mother! — are scattered throughout the film; sometimes effective, other times not so much. It also rejects the glossiness of a lot of Nollywood films, having settings and dialogue that are true to the reality of many Nigerians.
This is a far from perfect film: the dialogue is sometimes mechanical and the pacing is uneven at some points, but it is a film with genuine character. The stories are not new and they will still be told to generations to come, but the Surreal16 have managed to take their visions of them and hold them in the amber of screen creating an anthology that is distinct, honest, and supernatural.
