The Wildflower is an emotional drama that pulls us into the reality of three women faced with different forms of abuse from the men around them. One suffered domestic violence from her husband until he killed her and fled, leaving their two daughters behind; another was nearly raped by a neighbour but managed to injure him before escaping; and the other was raped by her boss, who happened to be a successful and influential architect. The latter decided to rise up and fight for justice, taking her boss to court and winning after multiple women confessed to surviving similar experiences with the same man.
The Wildflower is directed by Biodun Stephen and written by Niyi Akinmolayan, Mannie Oiseomaye, Amaka Chidioka, and many more. It was first released in Nigerian cinemas in May 2022 and began streaming on Netflix on April 21, 2023.
It features stellar performances from many of the cast members, including Damilare Kuku, Deyemi Okanlawon, Zubby Michael, Toyin Abraham, Kiki Omeili, and Etinosa Idemudia, amongst others.
Deyemi Okanlawon gives a gripping performance as the main villain in this story; it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing this role. Damilare Kuku also stood out as the female lead, giving us tear-jerking moments and letting us into the imagined world of a rape victim.
Through the lens of these relatable characters, especially the female ones. The movie realistically captured some of the kinds of things women of different age groups go through in cases of harassment and assault.
Aside from the brilliant acting of most of the main cast, some of the other captivating elements of this moving film include the cinematography and colour grading, which helped set the mood for the entire film, the soundtrack and costumes.
The plot, however, was a bit disjointed, and the challenges of trying to capture three different stories in one were obvious. We didn’t get proper resolutions for the other two victims, as more attention was paid to the last rape victim.
In an attempt to capture all of these stories, even the ending felt rushed. The entire movie was building up to that point, but we were let down by how quickly it was all resolved. The tension and suspense could have been played out and sustained a little more. The initial threat was lost too quickly, and suddenly our villain didn’t seem so powerful anymore. For a character that had been built up to have so many connections and influences, he was taken down all too easily.
It would have probably been better to make it into a series or focus on just one story.
‘The Wildflower’ is a good movie with relatable stories and characters and comes highly recommended by us; however, we think the story had a lot of potentials that could have been better explored.
