Mami Wata (2023) Movie Review

Mami Wata – Movie Review

Director: C.J. ‘Fiery’ Obasi

Writer: C.J. ‘Fiery’ Obasi (Screenplay)

Cast

Evelyne Ily Juhen
Uzoamaka Aniunoh
Emeke Amakeze
Rita Edochie
Kelechi Udegbe

Plot: When the harmony in a village is threatened by outside elements, two sisters must fight to save their people and restore the glory of a mermaid goddess to the land.

Runtime: 1 Hour 47 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Mami Wata starts as we head to a harmonious village that remains away from the outside world, despite having the same everyday equipment. A young woman Zinwe (Aniunoh) doesn’t have the same beliefs as her mother who believes her daughter was a gift from their Goddess.

However, when more outsiders arrive in the village, the villagers start to notice changes around. Elsewhere, Prisca (Juhen) tries to receive help from professionals, the elders refuse outsiders help. This leads to a change in the villager’s mentality as they can’t cope with the changes coming their way.

Verdict on Mami Wata

Mami Wata is a fantasy thriller following the residents of a small village who see their lives turned upside down. They have lived a strict life following their beliefs, but outsiders start to see changes in everything they stood for.

This is a surreal experience of how easily a village can see everything they believed in ripped away from them. It follows the idea that generations have followed a belief and everything agreed it was right. However, an outside influence challenges the normal and that world changes. It highlights how cultures can change with the smallest influence and old beliefs can be forgotten quickly. Shot in black and white so parallel the lines drawn by the two sides proving there isn’t a middle ground in this battle.

Where to Watch: Sundance darling MAMI WATA arrives in U.S. cinemas Sept. 29th

Final Thoughts – Mami Wata is a surreal journey into changing beliefs.