Writers: Freddie O. Anyaegbunam Jr., Vanessa Kanu and Egbemawei Dimiyei Sammy
Director: Daniel Oriahi
With more than a nod to the films of Jordan Peele, The Weekend sees couple Luc and Nikiya attend the anniversary party of Luc’s parents in the Nigerian countryside. At first, Luc is reluctant for his girlfriend to meet his parents, who live in a compound where there is no WIFI or mobile phone coverage. But thinking that perhaps she is pregnant, Nikiya insists. Before she commits to having the baby, Nikiya wants to meet her prospective in-laws, especially as she has no family of her own. It’s a decision that she will come to regret.
And a decision that the film’s audience may regret, too. There’s nothing really wrong with the plot; it’s typical horror fare and plays on a distinct Nigerian fear, but the poorly written script brings laughs in all the wrong places. One of the most awful lines comes early on in the film after Luc deals with some ne’er-do-wells who have set up an illegal roadblock outside his family’s town. Nikiya is so aroused by Luc’s macho behaviour she tells him that “her loins are frothing”. Luc, as horrified as the audience, replies, “Who says something like that?” Indeed.
When Nikiya finally meets Luc’s parents, she’s pleased. The father may be a little creepy, but the mother appears to be delightful. Nikiya may decide to have the baby after all. The only red flag seems to be the father’s angry disappointment that his son is still a vegetarian. However, the father promises them that he has sorted out some meat-free options with the caterers for the upcoming celebration. Things will be fine, he assures.
But at this party is where Nikiya meets Luc’s sister, Kama, and her boyfriend, Zeido. Kama seems okay, but Zeido, dressed like Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction, is an unapologetic wife-beater. James Gardiner’s depiction of Zeido suggests that Daniel Oriahi’s film is an examination of masculinity. Zeido, who calls himself a ‘man of substance’, his bling representing his newfound wealth, appears to symbolise a particular American masculinity steeped in capitalism. In contrast, Luc is more gentle, softer, with his life in the city, perhaps working as an enlightenment to show that there are other ways to be a man. Luc’s father is of the old tradition where women do what they’re told. How can Nikiya survive in such a patriarchal system?
However, the bloodbath that follows is concerned with familial ties and no matter how Luc tries to distance himself from his family and the old beliefs, he can’t ever fully escape them. Bucci Franklin certainly plays an innocent Luc, but his role and that of his girlfriend Nikiya (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) are so underwritten that it’s hard to care if they survive their weekend in the country.
It’s not all bad, although never bad enough to garner a kitsch audience. The costume design is fantastic, recently picking up a nomination for the 2024 Africa Movie Academy Awards, where the film has 16 nominations in total. The film may not do the Nigerian Tourist Board any favours, but everyone looks good enough.
The Weekend is screening at the BFI London Film Festival 2024.
