One of the surprises that awaits viewers in Yemi Amodu’s Shadow Parties is seeing an actress bathe naked under waterfalls. Because she is fair skinned, her body glows amid the gurgling waters, presenting a tender moment that tactically softens the charged temperament of many parts of the movie.
Set in Iludun and Aje, Shadow Parties deploys top-rated actors to prosecute a communal clash that snowballs into a national quagmire, throwing up suspicion, hatred, killings, arson, kidnapping and other vices. In the cast of the engaging film are Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Segun Arinze, Yemi Black, Sola Shobowale, Jibola Dabo, Toyin Abrahams, Jide Kosoko, Afeez Oyetoro and other thespians who give great performances. For Amodu, who wrote, produced and directed the film that has been doing well on Netflix and some other platforms, there is no compromising on his vision, hence the need to go for the leading actors. It is the same reason he decided to feature the lady bathing as she would do naturally: naked and unpretending.
Interestingly, Amodu tells Phenomenal.com.ng, his plan was to have Omotola bathe so nakedly under the waterfalls.
He says, “Most of our films lack originality. Omotola is the one who was supposed to bathe naked under the waterfalls, but we couldn’t really achieve that.”
To get something close to his intention, they decided to acquire a make-believe costume. Unfortunately, the one got was not the right size for Omotola.
“We had spent a lot of money on it, really,” Amodu adds. “I wanted to use the costume as one of my gimmicks. When this could not materialise, I had to deepen my thinking. Then I got an idea: to get a lady who could bathe naked as a kind of prelude to Omotola’s bath. Then, who would that be?
“I summoned wit and courage and spoke to a lady who has all along been working with me. Her bright colour was going to be a beautiful picture beneath the waterfalls. As a director, I am a negotiator. Not an authoritarian. So, I negotiated with her, and promised her a major role in my next production, which is a 365-episode.
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“In Africa, you don’t bathe with your clothes on, and that is what I am trying to reflect. When we wanted to shoot the scene, we ensured we sent everyone away. Only about four of us were there, including Omotola and Yemi Black. It was a height of sacrifice on the part of the actress. And, for us too, it was a spectacle that further marked our professional maturity. Of course, the scene was managed in such a way that nobody can recognise the lady. Watch the film 100 times, you still won’t be able to identify the actress.”
In another daring scene, Shadow Parties presents a lady being raped by some war mongers. The acting is so close to reality that the lady gives away an overwhelming chunk of her two apples. Again, Amodu says, the actress has a big place in his heart as far as his upcoming production is concerned.
Shadow Parties starts as a common feud between the two communities. As is often the case in the situation, there is a disagreement over land ownership. But, too soon, nerves begin to snap, cutlasses and guns begin to strike, while blood begins to flow. The producer then exploits the conflict to address other related issues, with the film capturing the larger dilemmas in Nigerian life too.
Opening with a song by Jimmy Solanke, the film enjoys occasional poetics, comedy – Afeez Oyetoro (Saka) helps in achieving this – as well as romance.
On the thematic concern, Amodu says he always wants to identify with any cause that promotes peace. He explains, “Some people call me an apostle of peace, and I am very glad to be identified so. I believe that no one should do anything that can jeopardise the peaceful and progressive co-existence of our country and the world at large. We have had enough of tribal and religious crises. We must set our society free of war and other forms of violence.
“Often, the reason for wars are minute or inconsequential. Even when you think they are major, they become inconsequential when compared to the destruction that wars bring. Remember how vulnerable everyone becomes, especially children and women. In wars rape cases are common. When husbands die their wives become widows with all family burden falling on their shoulders.
“Most times, thee reasons for these wars are not known to those who are fighting them. It is some people who stay in the background that really know. They are the ones who fuel the crises because it is to their benefits. They are the ones who ensure that the war should never end. It is about the sponsors because everything starts and ends with gains.”
In an earlier interview, he spoke on what it took him to secure the participation of Omotola and some of the other actors: “One thing is sure: if you have the right cast, you have a good film. Because I have an important message to pass, I have to go for actors that people will like to watch, those they can easily connect to and listen to. I, for instance, see Omotola as an ambassador of peace. So, if I am writing about peace, it is sensible for me to think in her direction. I also need someone who would be able to interpret the role well. When she is abducted, she should be able to tell her abductors some truth.”
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He concedes that it was challenging getting Omotola to play the role. According to him, she was abroad, and had to first talk to her managers virtually. She had to first read the script before she could accept to play the role. She read it and she liked it.
“The next challenge was getting her to come under my directorship. She read up some things about me. She called Kunle Afolayan, who said he had worked with me before. Indeed, it took months to get her convinced. But, afterwards, she gave us the very best.
“For Yemi Black, I see in him as an imposing character. His baritone voice is an asset to the role he wants to play. He would be able to assert authority first as a soldier and later as leader of a kidnapping gang. Of course, I also needed someone who is versatile and flexible, who would be able to move from the character of a soldier to that of a warlord and later melts to a truth seeker. He perfectly does this in Shadow Parties.”
