Emeka Nweze
I recently watched Ema Edosio’s 2018 film, Kasala!, and my only regret is not watching it earlier. The film was flawless in nearly every area; great story, impeccable writing, sound directing, just to mention a few of its qualities. Kasala is quite simply a faultless film and should be studied by future indie filmmakers
But to understand the genius of Kasala!, below are 5 areas that made the movie a gem.
Story
Kasala! tells a very simple and relatable story about four friends (each with their unique idiosyncrasies and secrets) and a day that started out with potential and excitement but soon turned for the worst with beautiful chaos from start to finish. The story is relatable in the sense that in one way or another we’ve had not exact but similar experiences that involved series of unfortunate events.
Writing
The script is flawless! The writer took a very simple and basic idea and turned it into a very clear, interesting and deliberate script. Every action, dialogue and scene was precise and nothing felt out of place.It simply elevated an already great story.
Characters
If you grew up on the “streets” then you’ll definitely know that every group of friends had either one or all of the characters in kasala! in their midst. The writer probably experienced this life one way or the other as they hit the nail on the head with every character.
Casting/acting
The casting is another feather on the filmmakers’ hat. They knew the kind of story they wanted to tell and selected a cast that could portray it in a down to earth manner which the audience can relate with. The actors, while the majority of them relatively unknown, delivered strong and believable performances.
Directing
The Directing and storytelling in Kasala! was excellent. The director’s style and intention was very clear from the start. There weren’t any larger than life aerial shots or weird camera angles, rather, the director made use of handheld and tracking shots, immersing the audience into the unending kasala!
