Starring:  Rahama Sadau, Segun Arinze, Desmond Elliott, Toyin Abraham

Synopsis:  A mother desperate for a child gives birth thanks to the help of a ungodly priest but of course, the favor came with a huge price.   

Review:

Larayi’s (Toyin Abraham) strong desire for a child propelled her to make a deal with the devil. She consulted Narimana (Segun Arinze), the head priest of a cult, who ultimately gave her a daughter she named Tatuma (Rahama Sadau). But there was one stipulation – Larayi had to sacrifice the child on her twenty-first birthday. Larayi never had any intention of turning Tatu over to Narimana so she sent her to live in a convent at age five.  

Tatu was raised to believe she was an orphan and when she became a adult she naturally had questions about her background. She was a bit mischievous and often sneaked out of the convent to party. That’s how she met love interest, Wally (Gabriel Afolayan). As her twenty-first birthday neared she was completely oblivious that Narimana was searching for her to perform his long awaited sacrificial ritual. 

Let’s Talk. We’ve seen this story before. It’s another one about a woman that wanted a child so badly that she made a horrible deal with a ritual priest. Conflict set in when the priest realized he was duped and then became adamant about reaping his share of the deal. 

Adding to the friction was that Tatu was unaware of the circumstances surrounding her life. She had been experiencing nightmares and she often heard a voice she thought was her mother’s but this was just a prequel to what she was about to face. 

So in essence this is a recycled story of good versus evil. It ultimately came down to a church priest going head to head with a ritual leader. It has similarities to 2013’s Bleeding Tree where “Ugomma” was also unaware of the deal her mother made with a deity. Stolen Pregnancy (2003) also had a related premise right down to the dwarfs that surrounded the ritual priest. These are all movies that featured entanglements with ritual cults all in the name of having a baby.

The fact that Tatu is a refurbished story isn’t a complaint; it’s a just reality that original movies are few and far between. When the old Nollywood churned out this genre of movie it could run from anywhere to two to four hours but Tatu had an average running time according to Hollywood standards. It wasn’t boring by any means and it succeeded at garnering interest thanks to performances. 

Costumes and make-up bestowed authenticity while special effects gave a spooky edge. There was an unexpected sprinkle of humor for a full circle of emotions. 

Performances were highlight, especially from Toyin Abraham who genuinely played a woman of despair who was willing to sacrifice her own life to save her daughter’s. 

The story leveled out to a “happily ever after” conclusion as Tatu’s obscure past unraveled into an optimistic future. RECOMMEND