Review: Adire, a 2023 movie on Netflix

Synopsis: A retired prostitute on the run moves to a small town and starts a lingerie business (made from her signature adire material) which inevitably empowers the conservative women. But this only angers the self-instilled leader, Folashade, the deaconess and wife to the preacher of the town’s local church.

The Cast 

• Tomi Ojo
• Iya Rainbow
• Onyinye Nnenna Odokoro
• Mike Afolarin
• Damilola Ogunsi
• Layi Wasabi
• Adeyela ‘Lizzy Jay’ Adebola
• Ifeanyi Kalu
• Femi Branch
• Yemi Blaq
• Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi
• Jack’enneth Opukeme
• Kelechi Udegbe
• Yvonne Jegede
• Kehinde Bankole
• Ibrahim Chatta

The Crew

• Produced by: Barbara Babarinsa, Moses Babatope, Mimi Bartels, Kene Okwuosa
• Directed by: Adeoluwa Owu
• Written by: Stephen Oluboyo, Mimi Bartels, Jack’enneth Opukeme

The Review

Adire could have been a great movie, but the resolution is one of the worst I have seen in my experience reviewing Nollywood movies. It feels like the budget was exhausted, or the writer lost inspiration, or they just got tired of the movie.

The movie is the story of redemption, judgement, acceptance, and societal perception. The story has great potential, and the actors do a good job, but Kehinde Bankole mostly carries the movie on her back.  Kehinde is a testament to the fact that with talent, you need to add dedication and hard work to excel, and we see her growth with every movie. She does not disappoint in Adire.

Funlola Aofiyebi appears to have been pigeonholed into the role of a strict disciplinarian. Almost all her appearances in movies and shows has her as the no-nonsense power wielder. She needs to expand her repertoire more, as she is a veteran in Nollywood. 

I don’t know how to place Yemi Black. He has so much potential. He is a veteran, yet he appears not to have grown past a level. His acting is missing a certain X factor; he acts like he is playing a role.

Apart from Kehinde Bankole, my other favourite actor in this movie is Ifeanyi Kalu. He expresses the role of the grieving widower so well. Watching him, I felt his emotions. Yvonne Jegede also plays her part well. I need to see her in a lead role in a cinema movie. She is good as support, but can she lead?

The other supporting actors still have a lot of work to do, but for a cinema movie, the story is not fully developed, and most characters are not properly explored. This lack of character development leaves us gasping and wondering about these loose threads.

The conclusion is rushed and makes you wonder the point of the movie. While we are not asking for moral lessons, give us a proper cliff hanger or give us a conclusive resolution.

NollyRated Score for: Adire

Score: 3/5 (Okay Movie)

NollyRated uses a 5-level scoring system, as follows:

1. Poor
2. Sub Par
3. Okay
4. Great
5. Outstanding

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