Movie recommendation for the week: Ema Edosio's Kasala (2018)

Here's a Nollywood comedy film that we strongly recommend you see this weekend to ease off the steam of the week:

Title: Kasala

Year: 2018

Genre: Comedy

Runtime: 1hr 24m

Cast: Gabriel Afolayan, Judith Audu, Emeka Nwagbaraocha, Jide Kosoko and Sambasa Nzeribe

Where to watch: Netflix

The 2018 Nigerian comedy drama film directed by Ema Edosio; Kasala is a film that stars Gabriel Afolayan, Judith Audu, Emeka Nwagbaraocha, Jide Kosoko and Sambasa Nzeribe. The film was released on October 12 2018 but was only accepted to the cinema by December 2018.

The reception of the film was cold and it caused the film to fall out of theatres earlier than anticipated. Kasala however went ahead to screen and win several awards at international film festivals before the film premiered on Netflix on January 31, 2020.

In Kasala, Tunji (Emeka Nwagbaraocha)a "wannabe" street-smart guy who along his friends Chikodi, Effiong and Abraham got his Uncle's vehicle in order to show they are "big boys" and they decide to take it for a ride in their community.

However, things spiral out of control as one of them crashes the vehicle and they are forced to find all mean necessary to fix the car before brother Taju (Tunji's uncle) returns from work. They have just five hours and every second counts.

When reviewing Kasala, Nollywood Reinvented states that "The satisfaction of Kasala is not solely in watching the main conflict and its resolution. The joy of the film is in the little things. It’s in watching a reflection of the “naija spirit” that is embodied in these four young boys. At a point towards the end, TJ sums it up well by acknowledging their victory in being able to hustle a whole 10,000 Naira in 6 hours. That’s the embodiment of the Nigerian hustle spirit – that when pushed against a wall anything is possible."

Kasala has been praised by many for its simplicity; telling the story of young boys on from the ghetto and how it is laced with a lot of satirical elements

Bellanaija states that "the storytelling in Kasala is undoubtedly the best thing about it. It’s a comedy and a lot of times, comedic films have a problem with balancing the humor and the drama"

Ultimately, Kasala's storytelling is a primary factor as to why it would be well worth your time.

Watch film trailer here: