House Of Ga’a | Nollywood Reinvented

Bolanle Austen Peter’s House of Ga’a continues in line with the recent stream of Yoruba Period Piece’s in Nollywood. And thankfully it is a welcome addition.

House of Ga’a is about the life of the infamous Bashorun Ga’a (Femi Branch), a powerful warrior in Oyo-Ile whose lust for power leads him to great heights but also ends up as his downfall. The story meets us with Ga’a already being a force to reckon with in Oyo-Ile and then it delves deeper into his lust for power and how that manifests in the kingdom, the palace and his family. The film does brilliantly in telling this story centered on one political figure but giving equal importance to other facades of his life. We see his love for his sons very clearly, the importance of family to Ga’a is also shown without the overt expressions usually used, his romantic side is shown as well as his violent side, and his vengeful side as well as his tempered side.

Femi Branch as Bashorun Ga’a is simply brilliant. I hold that there was only one frame of the movie where my brain goes “oh look it’s Femi Branch” after that first frame he became the character and Branch was nowhere to be seen. But this is a common thread throughout the movie. It is remiss to even consider a conversation about House of Ga’a without making mention of the brilliant performance from Jide ‘JBlaze’ Oyegbile who plays Olaotan one of the sons of Ga’a. Characters who are violent in nollywood movies are a dime a dozen, however, those who manage to do it so effortlessly with such unquestionable swagger can be counted on one hand and Oyegbile would always make the list. He embodies the true viciousness that his character is supposed to represent while finding a way to strike a balance of endearingness and wholesomeness in his scenes with his brother Oyemekun (Mike…