THE WILDFLOWER: A FILM ABOUT MALE PREDATORS, STRONG WOMEN AND RAPE

Movie Title: The Wildflower
Release Date: 23rd April 2022
Director: Biodun Stephen
Runtime: 104 minutes

Cast: Damilare Kuku, Deyemi Okanlawon, Toyin Abraham, Sandra Okunzuwa, Zubby Michael, Etinosa Idemudia, Nosa Rex, Imoh Eboh, Kiki Omeili, Eso Dike, Angel Unigwe and Rachel Isaac.

Inside Nollywood Rating: 4/5

Biodun Stephen made a Hollywood standard film about predators in men, rape and strong women in ‘Wildflower’. Cast in a modern day Nigeria, this 2022 Nollywood movie written by four women;Nneka Ojor, Amaka Chidioka, Mannie Oiseomaye and Niyi Akinmolayan is a clear demonstration of the saying; two good heads are better than one.

I am yet to find another Nollywood movie that did justice to the themes of domestic violence, vulnerability of the woman and rape like The Wildflower.

The movie played like a message of female liberation and women rights activism and while the man is presented as a self serving, heartless and abusive person, the woman is the victim fighting to stand her ground and protect her dignity being threatened by the man. I also saw a touch of LGBT in the movie which made me feel some or all the writers are LGBT advocates and rape survivors with an ax to grind with the male gender.

Plot

It is the story of three women living in the same compound who were victims of male predatorship. One was killed by the abusive husband; the daughter was almost raped by an HIV patient; the Neighbour is raped by the boss whom she adored. A touch of LGBT too. The movie started with Rolake practicing her interview session before a mirror in her apartment. As she leaves for the interview, she meets with Ada, who looks in her late teens. She exchange pleasantries and while Ada wishes her luck in her interview, Rolake drops motivational speech for her concerning men. She leaves for the interview and during the interview she seems to have impressed the man as she gets the employment. Her reaction makes it obvious that working for Ocean Heights Constructions and under the gifted and experienced Architect at the helm of affairs.

The story kept alternating between the hoary experience of Ada’s mum in the hands of her layabout husband; that of Ada in the hands of the wayward Neighbour who wants to have sex with her and that of Rolake in the hands of the charming but predator boss.

The climax is the rape of Rolake during a business trip her boyfriend had warned her against. The director, Biodun Stephen, made a masterpiece in that scene which ran simultaneously with the attempt rape of Ada and the murder of Ada’s mum.

Rolake comes back from the harrowing trip to meet Ada in her condition and she is piqued by it. She decides to take Ada to the clinic where it is discovered that she got exposed to HIV and needs to take some medications. Rolake almost opens up to the doctor about her own experience but stops herself short. She later confides in her boyfriend but was met with a judgmental boyfriend who responds with “I told you,” and walks away feeling cheated on.

Rolake is faced with the sole choice of confiding in the doctor, and making a social media confession when she discovers she has been replaced by her boss who has seen she won’t allow him continue having his way with her. The doctor helps her press charges and the rest of the movie is the court proceedings which turned out quite intriguing.

Verdict

The Wildflower is an intellectual movie that raises more questions than it answers. It is a must watch for every man who wants to see flirting and what makes for predator behavior through the eyes of a woman in order not to break the hedge. The film also helps one appreciate the fact that a state of emergency should be declared on the safety of women in the hands of the men folk. After watching The Wildflower twice in a row, I began to appreciate the hijab system of the Islam religion more. Imagine if Ada was dressed in a hijab or if Rolake was dressed in a hijab, I’m sure they would not have been objects of harassment like they were in the hands of those poorly trained men. The need for mothers and fathers to train their men to behave better towards women and the women to do the same especially to stop making themselves preys for predator men. See what Ada was wearing as she washed clothes in one of the scenes, for instance. I give The Wildflower, which is also streamed on Netflix a 4/5, and would recommend it for every man.