Okunkun Birimubirimu is a captivating movie about a couple’s journey through having a child out of wedlock. As usual, Isaac Femi-Akintunde has come up with a brilliant story that immerses the spirit, soul and body of the viewer into the pool of its conflict and resolution. It was released from the stables of Mount Zion Film Productions, and was directed by Isaac Femi-Akintunde as well.
One major thing to commend about this movie is the near-flawless subtitles. Subtitles have rather unfortunately been an area where it seems Gospel movies have had problems in the recent past, but with the kind of effort put into the subtitling of this movie, the future is really bright for subsequent movies.
The sequence of the plot is really good. Even though most of the events can be said to be a flashback, it is imaginatively done. Because of this, the movie makes for a more interesting narrative on second watching. The premise that drives the plot can be found in the command the Holy Spirit gives men in Ephesians 5:25. This film gives quite an adequate and illustrative reflection of it. Nowhere else do we feel the love more than at the end of the movie. It is a love story at its core but also shows itself up as a Gospel movie.
All the actors and actresses here perform their roles very well. Isaac Femi-Akintunde (Abejoye Series, Kembe Isonu) and Bukola Omolola (Block 10, Laide’s Note) play realistic parents for Shade, who was effectively played by Opeyemi Akintunde (Neema, Ewa Inu). Her husband is played by Jide Aanu Ademola (Ewa Inu, Family Riot). Thumbs up should be given to Nike Owah for giving Aanu Ademola a younger look; he looks his most handsome in this film, in my opinion. Also, when the time came around, Opeyemi Akintunde did look like a pregnant woman.
The camera work was nicely done, with pans, zooms and dolly shots spread across every scene in the movie. The editing was also seamlessly executed. The use of dialogue to form transitions into new scenes was a move successfully pulled off. The music was distinct, harmonious and pleasurable.
Something that I observed, and which I think is one of the strengths of Okunkun Birimubirimu, is that it presents down-to-earth, and especially Biblical perspectives on its subject matter. Almost all its characters are Christians, and we notice that certain undesirable conflicts could arise even in a Christian home. While some unpleasant things happen, we see how we as Christians ought to handle such matters. Similarly, we notice that there are different levels of maturity in Christ, and it is this maturity that determines how we respond to situations.
One other thing I love about the plot of this movie is that right from the get-go, the conflict is introduced. The point that secrecy/deceit never pays off at any time is steadily established. When any of the characters is on the wrong path, God Himself snaps them out of it. All these lead us through to its resolution, which reminds me of Ecclesiastes 7:16-17. Another part of the movie that touches me are the scenes where Jide Aanu Ademola prays over the unborn baby; when you watch it, you’ll discover what makes that place so special.
Okunkun Birimubirimu is an hour-long movie and is a touching watching experience.
To watch/download the movie, click the link below.
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