Uzoamaka Aninuoh delivers a brave, feisty, and brilliant performance in her role as ‘The Zipman’ – a journalist turned superhero in search of justice for her family.
27-year-old director, writer and producer, Gilbert Bassey is new to the Nollywood space and has only just released his second film. He’s never produced a feature-length movie, instead opting to write and direct short films. The best graduating student of the first Multichoice Talent Factory class and Africa Magic Viewers Choice Award nominee, he’s neither untalented nor underachieving. He is simply bound to short films by a lack of funding.
Yet, his latest directorial effort, a completely new subject matter in Nollywood, is an interesting story, woven only for the mind of an avid viewer. Deceptively complex, but incredibly simple, ‘Ananze and the Zipman’ combines several elements in the telling of one story. The warring elements of being a superhero and serial killer, striking balance between accountability and meted-out punishment, and courage in the face of adversity, tell the story of a young journalist on a quest for truth and justice.
‘Ananze and the Zipman’ is a story that spans two different planes, time-warping you through different moments necessary to understand the film, and moving you through different levels of consciousness – from reality to dreamscape and back to reality.
The movie takes on a fantasy-based approach in tackling the sensitive and sore subject of corruption, particularly in Nigeria and how it affects the citizenry. It embodies the sorrow and sadness caused by politicians and the cabals when they siphon money meant for the nation, and how it drives Nigerians to the edge. The movie is punctuated by sadness, anger, revenge, fighting and passionate monologues, doing justice to the tense story of corruption and manipulation.
This work of art introduces viewers to what a Nigerian superhero would look like, Igbo-speaking and all. It also allows you to decide whether or not the protagonist is a superhero, or simply a heart-broken young-woman-turned-serial-killer who’s out for revenge. The role of both characters in the film is left completely up to interpretation by the audience.
The fact that ‘The Zipman’ is a bad-ass, sexy-looking young woman may be all they need to love the character. But more likely, viewers will be in awe of her as she is on a mission most young Nigerians relate with – taking out the corrupt bad guys at the top. Coming exactly two months after the Lekki Massacre, many will relate with the superhero’s struggles and the journey that made her who she is.
Just like many who lost their loved ones during the #EndSARS campaign, especially on October 20, 2020, the Zipman lost her family due to the negligent and corrupt behaviour of greedy politicians. Like many young people who survived the unwarranted military attacks, her character is simply looking for justice, albeit in a different way.
Uzoamaka Aninuoh delivers a brave, feisty, and brilliant performance in her role as ‘The Zipman’ – a journalist turned superhero in search of justice for her family. She goes from fierce journalist in search of the truth to heartbroken young girl weighed down by her father’s death, and then to a fierce superhero who is bringing vengeance on the corrupt, and back to a helpless young woman about to become a sacrificial lamb. She delivers a quietly brilliant performance in each role, telling her story with more gestures than words.
Award-winning actor, Chimezie Imo, is enthralling in his transformation from spoiled brat of cabal-head, Adeleye to 654-year-old Igbo-speaking Ananze. He perfectly plays the scared rich kid who is sure he’s about to die, to the emboldened immortal man who knows he has the upper-hand in both realms. He then rounds up a beautiful performance by becoming the powerful Ananze who has the power to do as he wills with the Zipman’s life.
In all, the short film which features only two characters, across five scenes in the 24 minutes it runs, is highly imaginative. Shot with less than N2.5 million, it shows the promise of what film director, Gilbert Bassey, backed up by his team can achieve. The movie will premiere online on December 23 through the ALC Media platform. It is the perfect watch for people who love movies where they have to think a little to understand. It’s a brilliant, new, highly imaginative, and well-thought-out film you should see and live vicariously through (especially if you are tired of Nigeria’s political landscape).
