Akoni (2021) User Reviews

NOTHING EXCITING HERE

[movieguy3000 · 3/10 · 15 October 2022]

Akoni is about a man displaced from his country of Nigeria and magically finds himself in Sydney, Aus.

Then he meets a white Aussie girl, and they almost fall in love.

The film spouts that it's about a displaced person but it refuses to delve into the man's psyche or past or show us what's on his mind. The film tries to use visual storytelling with minimal dialogue, I applaud that as its the language of cinema - BUT - it fails to execute that language due to inexperience and lack of skill of the director. Its poor storytelling and terrible writing. It's actually really really boring as NOTHING really happens. To be honest there is NO real story here, it basically a bunch of scenes with the main actress looking very sad and moping around, she can barely speak or is shy - it's not clear till later on. My apologies but the main actress is also the director - and the acting skills by her are poor as is the main actor. Mark Coles Smith is a fine actor and stands out, but his character is just too much. Seasoned actor Simon El-Rahi is definitely an actor to watch and makes an impact as soon as you see a scene with him.

Its extremely slow film thats photographed well, has some nice music but nothing else that is exciting, compelling or even emotional. I honestly felt nothing. I was blown away from the trailer really hoping I was going to love it, the biggest problem about this film - is the lack of motivation of the main character - what is he trying to achieve?

There is no real goal here except for us to try and feel some contrived sorriness for the displaced African and the poor little attractive rich girl who lost someone in her life and this is the parallel and connects the 2 from different worlds.

The film ends abruptly as well and leaving me with no impact. A great achievement getting a film made - but poorly executed, sometimes you just need more dialogue, having a film with nothing = nothing.

A very boring film with no journey

[NORA_WISEMAN2000 · 2/10 · 9 December 2022]

I'm not sure what film the other reviewers watched but they obviously have very low standards. Some of the reviewers are in fact cast and crew and friends of the filmmakers which is NOT a fair representation of this film.

Ill begin with a very fair breakdown of the film.

The images and landscapes are very fantastic and beautifully presented. The music was OK but I could have used more emotional scores. A few fine actors but overall, the layers of the characters were bare and felt lifeless. The 2 leads were not strong actors at all.

Lots of silence but yet the gap is hardly filled with any emotion or thoughts, if you look at the actors faces, their expressions did not fill me with emotion. A film doesn't need to be fast paced but its needs heart and soul and needs to hook into your heart but sadly it does not.

The topic does not fare well inside the poor storytelling. I love slow movies, but this didn't have the gravitas to move it forward. An exciting lead actor can move mountains without words and get you excited to follow their journey. I nearly fell asleep watching this and found it very hard to watch.

Films don't need an ending, they need a resolution, abrupt endings don't speak of the resolution that hasn't been found yet, when you feel yanked out in a technical way, it's not art, it feels odd and like a mistake or poor storytelling. There are many ways you could leave the audience, you shouldn't feel annoyed, you should feel YES this is an ongoing issue.

There was no real arc or journey here, just a bunch of mismatched scenes and trying to force emotion from a real important subject that the filmmaker actually did not live, and it shows.

Other than the cinematography and music there isn't much here to call home about, especially from refuges point of perspective.

I loved it

[frankenyolandi · 9/10 · 2 November 2022]

I absolutely loved this film! Apart from the cinematography, sound and music score that was spot on, the story really resonated with me.

The film was not fast paced, but the still moments were filled with unspoken emotion and thoughts which, to me, didn't make it feel slow and filled the silence. When the lead actors didn't speak, I felt like I could hear their exact thoughts. Their emotion, or rather the emotion that the characters were trying to hide, and their body language told another layer of the story perfectly.

Simon Elrahi's performance was a great balance to the story and offered warmth.

The African scenery was superb too.

I also loved how abruptly the film ended, which to me meant that the filmmaker was saying that the problems addressed in the film is ongoing and no resolution has been found for it yet.

I think that perhaps people with less "lived experience" on the topic or compassion and understanding for the topic might not grasp it fully. But it certainly touched me and resonated with me. I left the cinema feeling overwhelmed with emotion and found myself looking at the trailer the follow day reliving the experience.

A film that represents...

[simonelrahi · 10/10 · 1 November 2022]

Akoni is a gem indie film which shines a light on the refugee experience. It crosses borders and cultures and adds a colourful romantic story between an Australian Girl and an African Man. It also delves into the psychology of Western privilege... The story and characters are nuanced, conveyimg depth and emotion. It takes us on the journey effortlessly with style and tone. The writing, directing and editing is fresh and engaging, continually keeping you glued to the screen. The sound design and score is pitch perfect, dramatic and emotive adding to the overall message. The one thing that stood out in the film is it's message of kindness. Highly recommended.

THIS IS AN AMAZING FILM - DON'T MISS IT - absolutely loved it.

[lozzieh · 10/10 · 1 November 2022]

AKONI is a beautiful, powerful and moving film focused on a young displaced Nigerian and his struggle in the western world.

The film is brilliantly written and directed to be extremely thought provoking and challenging as it raises awareness of the discrimination, inequality and other social issues and challenges faced by new members of our communities.

The amazing cast brought the story to life - with the lead actress and actor portraying their complex roles brilliantly - supported by the other equally talented cast members, The cinematography was just amazing including incredible scenes from Africa and Australia.

The film was encompassed by AKONI original sound track and music was incredible.

I loved the film - and found it so touching I felt incredibly emotional and challenged .

Amazing - don't miss it.

A beautiful love story...

[andreawaterhouse · 8/10 · 3 November 2022]

This film engaged me from the start. The film took you on an emotional journey and sent a powerful message and highlighted the real issues and struggles of refugees migrating to the western world. This is a topic that I was not so familiar with, so it was educational as well. It is not a fast-paced movie, but the moments of silence spoke 1000 words. I didn't want the story to end, as it leaves you wanting more. Congratulations to Genna Hayes on her writing of the script, direction, and production of a beautiful film.

The actresses and actors, cinematography, music score was all fantastic. Highly recommend.

A love story with incredibly powerful messages

[darren-53768 · 8/10 · 1 November 2022]

AKONI is the story of the titular Nigerian refugee (played by British-born Nigerian actor Kit Esuruoso), who has difficulty assimilating in Australia after escaping Boko Haram. When he meets Violet (played by Genna Chanelle Hayes), his plight offers a contrasting point of view to the party girl.

The film also stars Nigerian actress Jemima Osunde and Australian actors Mark Coles Smith, Pippa Grandison and Simon Elrahi.

For her first feature, Genna Chanelle Hayes delivers a powerful, narrative-driven film. Kit Esuruoso is superb in the lead role, and it is often the silence he delivers that fills the screen and the audience with intense emotion.

Dealing with subjects of homelessness, loneliness and grief, Genna's passion to not only raise awareness, but to take action to make change in our world is evident in her storytelling.

This incredible story, although fictional, is an extremely moving and at times heartbreaking insight of displaced refugees coming to Australia and is a must see.

Wonderful film.. amazing

[lorrainehayes-39394 · 10/10 · 5 November 2022]

This is a great movie which you should all see. A terrific cast of wonderfully talented stars . Some amazing new talents and incredible photography from both local Australia - Sydney. And original footage from Nigeria ... the village scenes and markets are just beautiful complimented with original soundtrack Actress , writer and director Genna has created a very moving story which is challenging to all who see and understand the problems faced by refugees and displaced persons in Australia and even our own first nations people . Thank you for bringing this story to our communities and raising awareness of this situation many people find themselves in. One World - One Love. Well done.

Fantastic

[mayneplumbing · 10/10 · 3 November 2022]

Akoni was definitely the best movie I have been to see for a long time. What a beautiful movie. Inspirational in many many ways and a very moving story line which had the eyes watering in some of the scenes. The production the locations and the beautiful photography of Akoni is a credit to all involved in the movie. The actors / actresses in the movie I believe are absolutely incredible. If there is one movie to see Akoni is the movie you can not miss seeing. I hope there will be a sequel very very soon. Congratulations to Jenna Hayes you should be very very proud of yourself for a great movie.