Acting is the cornerstone of any great film’s success. While production and budget are important, the actors’ performances really determine if the story truly lands. And in this new era of Nollywood, we have seen some scenes where the actors truly knocked the ball out of the park.
1. Sola Sobowale as Eniola Salami in King of Boys
King of Boys tells the story of Alhaja Eniola Salami, a businesswoman and philanthropist whose dark past is revealed during her ruthless struggle for political power. One of the most powerful scenes in the movie is the confrontation between her and Makanaki, an underdog looking to upstage her. He stands up before everyone and declares, “What crown are you talking about? You all fear a lion that has lost its claws and teeth.” Eniola replies fiercely by daring him to take her crown.
What makes Sola Sobowale’s performance in this moment absolutely electric is the way she lets the disrespect land before she responds. It was exactly like a Nigerian mother who sneaks in the middle of the night to question why you ate at that relative’s house.
Watch King of Boys on Netflix.
2. Shaffy Bello as Big Daddy in The Black Book
Paul Edima (RMD), a former soldier turned militant, now retired and seeking redemption, enjoys a simple life with his son. However, when the Nigerian police unjustly targets and frames his son as a criminal, Paul’s attempts to clear his name lead him back into his old world and this is how we meet Big Daddy.
My only grouse with this film is that they didn’t let Big Daddy (Shaffy Bello) shine as much. A really impressive scene is where she raids General Issa’s farm with the aid of her female soldiers disguised as farmers. Shaffy Bello as Big Daddy is everything a female villain should be.
Watch The Black Book on Netflix.
3. Victoria as Sista in Sista
Victoria (Kehinde Bankole) gets pregnant at a young age, and is forced to give up on her dreams. It doesn’t end there. She gets jilted by the baby’s father, and has to raise her kids on her own.
Later in the future when Folarin (the father of the babies) shows up and asks to see them, she refuses vehemently. This is where Victoria gives the iconic monologue where she warns him to never make such a request again. Bankole puts on such a natural act that one could be convinced that she is just living her life on screen.
4. Funke Akindele as Jedidiah in A Tribe Called Judah
Jedidah Judah (Funke Akindele) is a single mother with five sons by five different fathers, all from different tribes. When Jedidiah falls ill and needs expensive medical treatment, her sons band together to rob a mall, only to find themselves caught in another armed group’s robbery of the same mall.
When Jedidah learns that her first son is dead, she breaks down in the most heart-wrenching way. Funke Akindele takes herself and us, the audience, even more seriously with this performance. What makes the performance so powerful is how you can see the years of struggle in her face, mixed with the grief of what had happened.
Watch A Tribe Called Judah on Prime Video.
5. Bucci Franklin as Oboz in To Kill A Monkey
Efemini, or simply Efe, is down on his luck and operating at the lowest rung of society. He meets a long-time school acquaintance, Oboz (Bucci Franklin), who has found success in cybercrime. Not long after, he finds himself roped into the dark underworld.
In the devastating final betrayal, we see Oboz ready to fight back until he realises Efe is in on the attack. Like Julius Caesar, a blood-soaked Oboz falls to the ground. The way his body language shifts from readiness to fight to resignation shows acting at its finest. He showcases a man who doesn’t die from bullets, but from the betrayal itself, and you feel every second of that emotional death before the physical one.
Watch To Kill A Monkey on Netflix.
6. Ruby Akubueze as Oby in Ijogbon
In Ijogbon, four teenagers from a rural village stumble upon a pouch of uncut diamonds while exploring a forbidden forest. What starts as a stroke of luck quickly turns into a survival quest.
The bridge scene where Oby throws the diamonds away so they can regain their peace of mind is one of the most pivotal parts of the movie. She acts as the voice of reason for the group of four. Akubueze fully embodied all the emotions she was feeling in that moment, as you can see from her body language and breaking voice before she threw the diamonds away.
7. Chidi Mokeme as Scar in Shanty Town
Shanty Town follows a group of sex workers who live in the titular Shanty Town under the control of Scar (Chidi Mokeme), a ruthless gang leader.
Almost every scene where Scar appears is moving. But one that is imprinted in my memory is where he reads out all the things he has done for Shalewa, down to the paid abortions. It gives you a peek into the kind of person he is and shines a broader light on the grim realities of the women who are under his control.
8. Chioma Chukwuka as Mama Ify in Gangs of Lagos
On the streets of Isale Eko, three childhood friends are drawn into gang life when their adoptive father is murdered. When Ify (Chike) is brutally killed, his mother, Mama Ify (Chioma Chukwuka), reaches her breaking point.
At his funeral, Mama Ify lets it all out in a heartfelt eulogy. Every word drips with the pain of a mother who has lost everything. Chukwuka’s performance is nothing short of a masterclass in range.
Watch Gangs of Lagos on Prime Video.
9. Ini Dima-Okojie as Sarah in Blood Sisters
Sarah (Ini Dima-Okojie) is engaged to her dream man, Kola Ademola, the wealthy but abusive heir to a powerful Lagos family. On their traditional wedding day, he tries to strangle Sarah. This leads to her best friend, Kemi (Nancy Isime), killing him in self-defence. Now they are forced to go on the run from Kola’s family and the police.
On the day of their wedding, Sarah finds the strength to do what she’s never been able to do before. She tells him the wedding is off. In that moment, you see a woman who is not afraid to let it all burn instead of subjecting herself to a marriage with an abusive man.
Watch Blood Sisters on Netflix.
10. Tobi Bakre as Akin in Brotherhood
Twin brothers Akin and Wale Adetula witnessed their parents’ murder as young boys. Years later, they find themselves on opposite sides of the law. Wale is part of the police while Akin, after his most recent prison release, joins a notorious gang, Ojuju boys.
After a raid gone wrong, Akin dares to raise his gun at Shadow (Basketmouth), the leader of the gang. What follows is a testosterone face-off. Beyond Tobi Bakre’s brilliant portrayal of Akin, everyone in the scene acted like their two-year rent was due. Still can’t get over Izra’s (OC Ukeje) statement in Igbo that: “Even a dog doesn’t bite the hand that feeds it”
