Deeper is driven by the story of one family, the Olurins, a seemingly stable and enviable family with everything in their grasp, hiding the chaos that is about to break out. Played by Ozzy Agu (David Olurin) and Anee Icha (Adelu Olurin), this couple is the perfect onscreen representation of what love should look like. In Doyin’s words, Adelu’s friend, ‘I just want what you guys have… a good husband and a happy family.” Unknown to both parties in this conversation, that perfectly curated facade is about to be the ultimate undoing of the relationship in question.
Adelu is pregnant; after many years of fertility issues, she can finally have a second child, and the couple is overjoyed. Everything was planned. Despite David being neck-deep in debt, he committed to wanting his wife to give birth in the States. Reminiscent of the typical Lagos magnate’s who refuse to accept the reality of their impending fall from grace (poverty), David goes to great lengths to make his dream come true while his business is about to be closed by the bank in a few days due to an overdue N90 million loan.
Amidst all this is the unknown spiritual power and force that comes into play. Unknown to David, his closest friend, Rotimi (Seun Kentebe), and father-in-law are initiates in a money ritual scheme that soon becomes the driving force of the story as David is eventually introduced into the system through his in-law. All he has to do? Sacrifice someone who loves him dearly. Hiding under the guise that he’s making this sacrifice for his family, he chooses to reconnect with an ex-lover, Digiola, who is set to be married to another man.
Their relationship becomes a cause of concern for his wife, as she assumes he is cheating without knowing that something more sinister and evil is set to happen. So imagine her shock when she tails her husband after work only to find him picking up his ex, taking her to a location for a night out, and stabbing her multiple times. The shock leads to induced labour, which led to the eventual loss of their child, but most importantly, Adelu cannot see beyond the monstrous act she witnessed her husband commit. Rightfully so.
Ultimately, Deeper tells the story of the Olurins, the lies they tell each other, the pain caused, and the secret society that infiltrates their peace in the guise of friends and family. We also cannot forget their model daughter, Ire (Nata Bankong), and her obsession with a broke scammer, Kokun, which leads her to scam her parents on several occasions.
Beyond the Olurins, Deeper is basically about greed. Like its episodic themes, a liar is eventually a murderer, and everyone in Deeper is one either by association or action. It spotlights the lengths men will go to for wealth and the lies they tell themselves to help them sleep well at night. The film’s showrunner, Lani Aisida, has crafted a film that addresses the concept of greed in the form of ritual without somehow villainising the traditional system behind the act. We know the act is evil; the film establishes that. Every emotion Adelu goes through as she finds out in facets that everything is not as it seems ingrains that fact into our heads. But in an attempt to villainise the act, the producer did not villainise the system. In the end, when a sacrifice was eventually made to free the Olurins from the oath made, the traditional process was not negated. The price was paid, and everyone went their merry ways.
What we’ve often found to play out in Nollywood productions is that a religion considered more acceptable is used to negate the traditional, but in Deeper, traditional religion was not treated as a taboo in itself, and it was a breath of fresh air.
Beyond how religion and retribution were represented, the actors were a joy to watch. In an exclusive chat with Ozzy Agu, he mentioned how in acting, actors should aim for conversations as opposed to just waiting to read their lines, and his emotional exchange with Anne Icha in this three-part show is a masterclass in that act. They easily play off each other’s emotions. In scenes where Ozzy’s sarcasm and humour shine through, Anne matches the energy as his jealous lover. In scenes where Anne shows deep hurt from his revelation, Ozzy matches the energy, enunciating every line with his eyes, portraying the deep hurt he feels at the moment while delivering his lines, or much better, having a conversation with his co-star. It was bliss to watch.
Beyond the leads, actors like Seun Kentebe and Favour Asiquo fully immersed themselves in their roles and were so exciting to watch. They made every part of the Deeper story believable.
Another aspect that Deeper excels in is its editing and use of soundtrack. There were some cuts across the parts that were so smooth and so well thought out that they deserve applause. The edit elements are further elevated with their use of sound. In particular, the scene where both Ozzy and Anne were arguing in Part 3, the sudden drop in sound when she said, “Our run is done,” packs a punch, thereby showcasing how much thought was put into making the story impactful on all grounds.
Ultimately, in Deeper, love means sacrifice, greed eventually leads to inhumanity, and everything is not always as it seems. Catch up on all three parts of the Africa Magic original deeper on Showmax.
