Odunlade Adekola in The King’s Horseman (TIFF)

Though it is set in the middle of World War II and after the death of a Yoruba king in Nigeria, this film begins on an auspicious day. Elesin Oba (Odunlade Adekola), the late king’s horseman, is preparing to commit ritual suicide, yet this is a responsibility he meets with open armed joy. It is his destiny to do so, so that the king’s spirit does not wander alone in the afterlife. He and his community approach this day as though it is to be the best of his life. We first see him surrounded by amorous women, before he parades through the village, accompanied by constant music and singing. When he notices a young woman whom he desires, he requests that he be allowed to marry her and pass on his seed before he dies. Even though she is already engaged, his request is granted.

However, the colonial authorities, who are living a decadent lifestyle far from the war, hear of Oba’s plans for a ritual suicide. To them, this sounds hideous, immoral, and barbaric, and they make quick plans to intervene. Add to this the return of Oba’s son, Olunde (Deyemi Okanlawon), who, against his father’s wishes, has been studying in England to become a doctor. The result is a disruption of tribal custom that ends in tragedy.

The film is based on a 1975 play, Death and the King’s Horseman by Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, which in turn is based on a real incident. Dialogue is in both Yoruba and English, the film aspires to genuine tragedy, and the text encompasses a variety of themes, both personal and political. Because of the singing and dancing and a declamatory, call-and-response form of dialogue, it might not have made for an easy transition to the screen, but the actors, especially Adekola and Shaffy Bello, who plays Iyaloja (an elder of the tribe), deliver the text with fully bodied vigor and attention to nuance that is very compelling to watch.

Nevertheless, one has the sense that much was lost in the transition from stage to screen, and that the original text is not always well served by Biyi Bandele’s direction. Bandele, who died this year, was admirably ambitious with his final film. Still, he shows a weakness for some Spielbergian gestures, whether he is constantly underscoring dramatic events with equally dramatic music (not the traditional music, which is one of the film’s strongest aspects) or resorting to slow motion when the effect is more comical than otherwise.

Also, not all of the plot strands come together to make the resolution satisfying. Olunde’s presence feels neither consistent nor developed enough to give full resonance to the tragic role he plays. Additionally, the colonial administrators also feel too much like caricatures to give any real bite to the story’s anti-imperialist aspects. Soyinka himself has expressed dissatisfaction with the way his play has been traditionally viewed, and one wonders how he feels about this film and the standard critique of power that it puts across.

Yet the text (according to the article linked above) is a notoriously difficult one, and this viewer finished the film with genuine respect for Bandele’s undertaking. The performances are all strong, and one scene in particular, in which Iyaloja confronts an imprisoned Elesin, stands out as impressive and powerful. It gave me the desire to engage with Soyinka’s text, and may do the same for many others.