“70 million Nigerians exist without access to safe drinking water.” Therein lies the premise of director C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s zombie film Ojuju. Part of Nigeria’s Nollywood movement (the second largest film industry in the world following India), Obasi’s film is an unpolished blend of horror and comedy that’s more enjoyable than most indie DTV fare I’ve seen in the past few years. The pacing and editing are tough to digest, but its colorful characters and mischievous spirit make it an amusing watch. And if you like watching large woman moan as they take a massive dump, do I have the movie for you!
Following a wicked fun intro that involves a drug dealer and a zombie, we meet Romero (Gabriel Afolayan). Yes, his name is Romero. He lives in the dilapidated slums of Lagos, Nigeria, where the entire population drinks from one very contaminated water source. Romero finds himself at a crossroads in his life. His girlfriend Alero (Meg Otanwa) is pregnant and these new responsibilities demand he quit smoking dope and goofing off with his best bud Emmy (Kelechi Udegbe). It’s easier said than done. As Romero explains, “Man must blaze.”
[Related Post] Read all of our reviews from the Fantasia Film Festival 2015
Just as the buddy-stoner comedy vibe is kicking in, Ojuju takes a sharp turn into hell. Villagers turn rabid from the tainted drinking water and begin devouring each other. Romero teams up with his friends to fight off the hobbling zombies and get to safety, but in Lagos, there’s only one way in and one way out.
Once the zombie-ness begins, Ojuju’s pacing does begin to drag thanks to its haphazard editing. Sequences of zombies shuffling along go on forever and nearly the entire middle feels flabby. The film does go in some surprising directions, however, and towards the end it does have something to say about the fear of people from the slums invading the more well to do areas. The mad dashes through Lagos’ labyrinthine alleyways are urgent and nicely shot and as far as zombie mayhem goes, even when it drags it’s at least nicely done. Gore hounds will be satisfied. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the film is the pidgin English and street slang each character delivers in rapid-fire fashion. The language is seriously rich in Ojuju.
While it may not have had the biggest budget (or one at all), Ojuju is still an entertaining film that makes due with the slim resources they had at hand. The story treads some familiar territory, but placing it in cultural context makes it more fresh and vital.