October 1 (2014) Review: Murder on the Eve of Independence

Is October 1 worth watching?

Yes, with reservations. October 1 is one of the most ambitious Nigerian films of its decade, a period murder mystery that uses the last weeks of colonial rule to ask what kind of country is about to be born. Kunle Afolayan’s production values and Sadiq Daba’s weary, commanding lead performance make it worth the time. The main reservation is that time itself: this is a long, deliberate film whose middle stretch moves slowly, and its handling of some supporting roles is less assured than its look.

What is October 1 about?

In 1960, with Nigeria days away from independence, a police inspector from the north (Sadiq Daba) is sent to a small town in the Western Region to investigate the killings of young women. He is an outsider in a close-knit Yoruba community, working for a British colonial administration that wants the case closed before the flag changes, and the deeper he digs, the more he uncovers about colonial secrets and local shame that people would rather keep buried.

October 1 was directed by Kunle Afolayan, with Kehinde Bankole, Ademola Adedoyin and Kanayo O. Kanayo among the supporting cast. It is a Nigerian production, largely in English, and runs well over two hours. It was an official selection at AFRIFF in 2014 and won Best Nigerian Film, Best Actor for Daba and a costume design prize at the Africa Movie Academy Awards the following year.

The birth of a nation as a crime scene

The film’s great idea is its timing. Setting a murder investigation against the countdown to independence lets Afolayan fold history into genre without lecturing. Every interview the inspector conducts touches on questions of power: who answers to the British, who answers to local authority, who is protected by rank or faith, and who is expendable. The case becomes a way of examining the inheritance the new nation is about to receive.

Afolayan also takes the mystery form seriously. Clues are laid carefully, suspects are given room, and the detective work proceeds at the pace of a real investigation rather than a montage. For viewers who enjoy slow-burn procedurals, that patience is part of the pleasure.

Period craft that raised the bar

October 1 was widely noted for its production values, and they remain its most striking feature. The costumes, vehicles, uniforms and village settings create a convincing picture of late colonial Nigeria, and the recognition for costume design at the AMAAs is easy to understand. The cinematography favours wide, sunlit compositions that make the town feel both beautiful and watchful, and the film has the scale of a genuine period epic rather than a television drama in fancy dress.

Sadiq Daba anchors it all. His inspector is methodical, dry and quietly isolated, a northerner in the south and a Nigerian serving a foreign power, and Daba lets those tensions show through small gestures rather than speeches. It is a lived-in, intelligent performance, and his AMAA win was deserved.

Where the length tells

The limitation is structure. The film takes its time establishing the town and its inhabitants, and the investigation’s middle section repeats beats that a tighter edit could have trimmed. Some supporting performances are stiffer than Daba’s, and a few scenes explain their themes more directly than necessary. None of this undoes the film’s ambition, but viewers used to brisk thrillers should know that October 1 is closer to a historical drama with a mystery inside it.

Who should watch October 1?

It is essential for anyone interested in Nigerian cinema beyond the quick-turnaround Nollywood stereotype, and rewarding for fans of period detective stories and films about the end of empire. Set aside an evening and a patient mood. The film deals with murder, sexual violence and abuse of power, and while it is not gratuitous, some themes are disturbing.

Where to go next:

• The Figurine, Afolayan’s earlier supernatural thriller, which shows the same interest in Nigerian belief and genre.
• King of Boys, a more modern, sprawling Nigerian crime saga about power and politics.
• The Silence of the Lambs, for a classic investigation into a killer of women, told with a different kind of intensity.

The verdict

October 1 is a landmark of ambition for Nigerian filmmaking: a handsome, thoughtful period crime thriller that uses a murder case to examine a nation’s birth. Its length and uneven supporting work hold it back from greatness, but Sadiq Daba’s performance and Afolayan’s vision make it well worth the investment.

Rating: 4/5