CITATION

 

Citation is a Nigerian film directed by Kunle Afolayan and is based on true events. The film tells the story of Moremi Oluwa, a young intelligent International Relations Masters student who in awe of renowned Professor Lucien N’Dyare  falls prey to his scheme of sex for grades. To expose her Professor, Moremi presents her allegations before the university but all seems lost as it gets tougher to prove herself against an opponent who had no record of sexual exploitation. With time running out, Moremi has to look into Professor N’Dyare’s past for the evidence she needs to present before the university panel in order to save her reputation and future.

 

I liked the manner in which the story was told; when either Moremi or the professor recounted an incident relating to their past meetings before the university panel, the scene would cut to a flashback to reveal what actually happened. The message of the film was also worthy of being told even though one can guess what the outcome would be but I felt the film was dull, the dialogue lifeless and the delivery left me imagining if people actually spoke in slow motion.

 

Some scenes were irrelevant like the karate championship match. Apart from the revelation of Professor N’Dyare’s past towards the end of the film, there was no character backstory especially for Moremi, hence I wasn’t invested in the character only rooted for “good prevailing over evil”. Really wished Joke Silva’s role was given more relevance than being Moremi’s pep talker.

 

Watch Citation on Netflix and enjoy the languages, African history, the beauty of Cape Verde and Senegal and a bit of comeuppance. Laterz and stay safe.