- Limited Series, Seven Doors, was exclusively released to Netflix on December 13, 2024
- The 6-episode series, which was produced and co-directed by Femi Adebayo, featured prominent faces such as Taiwo Hassan, Yinka Quadri, Chioma Chukwuka, Adebayo Salami, Ronke Oshodi-Oke, Ronke Odusanya, Kunle Afod, Gabriel Afolayan, Idowu Philips, and Dele Odule
- TheRadar reviews the series, its strength, struggles and what it adds to Nollywood
Femi Adebayo continues his impressive run of movie offerings, having served King of Thieves (Agesinkole) in 2022, Jagun Jagun in 2023 and now Seven Doors (2024).
Arguably, Adebayo has managed to improve his work successively and this year, he goes one better by making his directorial debut. Though not alone, having co-directed with Adebayo Tijani and Tope Adebayo, he decides to take on the responsibilities of being in front of the camera and behind it.
For his 2024 package, Femi Adebayo made Seven Doors a limited 6-episode series (would have hit harder if it were seven episodes though), not the usual two-hour movie and safe to say that he delivered.
Seven Doors’ storyline
Before now, there has been scant exploration of kingship coronation and rites in the Yoruba culture, with many of us culture enthusiasts left to grasp at straws and incredible myths to have an idea of what really happens when a king is to be installed.
In fact, the most popular story in this regard has to be that an incoming king must eat the heart of the dead king before he can be enthroned – which fits the transliteration of the Yoruba expression 'je oba' – meaning eat king.
Seeing Seven Doors comprehensively detail this is such a bliss. It doesn’t have to be applicable to every town in Yoruba land but such literature is a handy one to have, and an even more resourceful material.
Plot cohesion and continuity have been one of Femi Adebayo’s strongest points, across the other movies earlier mentioned, and they show in Seven Doors once again. The story patiently and linearly builds from the simple Lagos life of Prince Adedunjoye to being chosen by the oracle for the throne of Ilara town, to enthronement, curbing his chiefs’ excesses, then to the climax, which is best captured with the popular Shakespearean saying that "uneasy lies the head that wears the crown."
Adedunjoye, the story’s protagonist which is played by Femi Adebayo, starts his reign with the loss of his daughter, and from that point, it is one calamity after another. Chronological and organic. Not necessarily forced.
How ‘Seven Doors’ reflects Nigeria’s tribal problems
Beyond the enthralling plot, it is refreshing to see a movie set in the 20th century explore some issues plaguing the Nigerian society. The marriage of Adedunjoye, a Yoruba prince, and Amaka, an Igbo lady reminds viewers that we can do away with the stinking tribalism that’s being the trend recently.
The Igbo culture is on display during the king’s coronation and Amaka embraces the Yoruba culture to the point she impresses the chiefs who want to be dissenting.
The Ilara chiefs’ excesses remind us of our politicians. Remember that Yahaya Bello just got bail after allegations of over N80 billion naira. Meanwhile, King Adedunjoye’s stance on corruption suggests that there could be hope among the current crop of Nigerian leaders.
Robust acting
The host of actors all did well, with barely a few gaps. The performance of the six other wives of King Adedunjoye is a good comic relief, while Taiwo Hassan (Ogogo), acting as an orator at such a high pitch, was a rare sight! Gabriel Afolayan, after yet another solid outing, should be able to challenge anyone as Nigeria’s finest actor. What can he not do?
Muyiwa Ademola, Oga Bello, Yinka Quadri, Alapini, Hafiz Oyetoro and Dele Odule rolled back the years with their performance. They are legends for a reason.
Femi Adebayo’s archetypes and trends
From the first scene in Seven Doors, it becomes clear that there is a typical way Femi Adebayo likes to introduce his movies – a suspenseful, mysterious act that viewers later understand as the plot progresses, providing an anchor for the thrust of the movie.
The character of Esusu, played by Aliu Gafar, continues the invincible warlord archetype of Femi Adebayo. We saw it with Agesinkole, Gbogunmi in Jagun Jagun and now Esusu in Seven Doors. Not a bad signature though.
Niyi Akinmolayan’s visual effects and other flaws
When I saw the visual effects in the series, the first thing I did was to check who oversaw it. Of course, it was Niyi Akinmolayan’s Anthills Studios. Not surprised. There is an improvement from what we saw in Lisabi: The Uprising, which was crude and experimental.
Akinmolayan is positioning himself as an FX powerhouse in Nollywood and the hope is that things get better with each passing movie. But the part where heavy logs of wood – tree trunks - were bouncing like straws was not it at all. It made the tragedy in that scene forced.
Also, the introductory scene was vivid, but the positioning of the corpses was suspect. The women lined up vertically, but in the end, it felt like they had dropped from opposing cliffs.
Final thoughts on 'Seven Doors'
Overall, Seven Doors is a solid series which obviously didn’t spare any penny for the purpose of make-believe. The set was expensive, and must have cost a lot of money to put together.
The limited series should appeal to Netflix not to cut down its investment in Nollywood and serve as a reminder to the local stakeholders that Nigeria’s creative industry is worth investing in. It needs every penny.
Review: Odunlade Adekola’s ‘Lakatabu’ is a mixed bag of improvements and shortcomings:
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reviewed Odunlade Adekola's Lakatabu (The Monster) movie, which was released to cinemas nationwide on June 21, 2024.
The movie, which had already earned over N50 million at the box office, featured a star-studded cast, including popular actors Lateef Adedimeji, Adunni Ade, Ibrahim Chatta, Akin Lewis, Bolanle Ninalowo, Yomi Fash-Lanso, and Adebayo Salami.
