In December 2023, Malaika hit cinemas with high hopes of delivering a feel-good, mystical journey that lived up to its heavenly name—after all, “Malaika” means angel. Now streaming on Circuits TV, the film promised a blend of spiritual mysticism, humor, and engaging storytelling that would leave audiences uplifted. However, while it tried to juggle elements of supernatural allure, family drama, and laugh-out-loud moments, it ended up meandering between too many ideas without finding a steady balance.

Without further ado, let’s get into the review. P.s: spoiler alert!

Plot

The film follows Adetutu as she deals with repeated miscarriages, struggles with her temper, and clashes with her stepdaughter, Chichi. Her husband, Dr Ebuka, is a well-known fertility specialist, yet the couple never actively seeks medical help. Instead, Adetutu turns to a diviner who tells her that her miscarriages are caused by her anger. Meanwhile, Chichi finds comfort with a lower-class family, which helps her see life differently.

The film weakens its impact by not clearly defining Adetutu’s struggle. It wants to tell a story about a woman desperate for a child, but by confusing miscarriage with infertility, it makes it harder for the audience to fully connect with her journey.

While the plot covers a lot, the film struggles with focus and shifts between different tones. It jumps from family drama to supernatural elements and then to an action-packed climax. But none of these parts feel fully developed.

The film also rushes through Adetutu’s journey. Instead of giving the audience time to process her struggles, it quickly moves from personal pain to a sudden resolution. Rather than exploring child loss in depth, Malaika shifts into exaggerated twists and moral lessons, making it less about Adetutu’s emotional journey and more about how everything wraps up neatly at the end.

Story

Malaika sets out to explore child loss, family struggles, and personal transformation through Adetutu, a successful but hot-tempered woman under pressure to have children. The film looks at how society treats women who can’t have children, the strain this puts on marriages, and the challenges of raising a stepchild. It also brings in spirituality, as Adetutu turns to traditional beliefs when all else fails. On paper, this is a story about self-discovery and healing. But in execution, the film leans too much on comedy and dramatic twists, making it hard to take its subject seriously.

However, there’s a major contradiction. The film calls Adetutu’s struggle “infertility,” but she actually gets pregnant multiple times and suffers miscarriages. Infertility is the inability to conceive, while miscarriage is the inability to carry a pregnancy to term. This mistake makes the film’s central conflict feel misguided.

Rather than fully exploring the pain of miscarriage, the film focuses on Adetutu’s anger and her fights with her stepdaughter. It frames her inability to have a child as a personal flaw instead of a medical condition, reducing her struggle to loud arguments instead of deep emotional moments. Meanwhile, Dr Ebuka, a fertility expert, barely engages with his wife’s situation, making his presence feel unnecessary. The film commits to a spiritual resolution but doesn’t build up to it well.

When all else fails, Adetutu turns to spirituality. This could have been a powerful shift, but the film rushes through it. Instead of gradually showing her search for answers, the film makes her realisation feel too sudden, making her transformation less believable.

Performances

Toyin Abraham embodies Adetutu with the emotional volatility expected of a character burdened by personal grief, but her performance occasionally borders on theatrical excess, making it difficult to fully invest in her struggle. Better still, her performance feels exaggerated rather than natural.

Emeka Ike, as Dr Ebuka, plays his role with restraint, but the script gives him little to do beyond being a doctor in name only. His character is introduced as a top fertility expert, yet he never really contributes to Adetutu’s struggle. At the very least, he could have addressed the difference between infertility and miscarriage, but the film doesn’t allow that moment to happen. Anyway, Oluwapelumi Olawumi’s portrayal of Chichi effectively conveys teenage angst, though the film’s lack of depth in characterisation limits her arc.

Ibrahim Chatta’s role as the folk-singer-turned-spiritual-guide introduces an element of mysticism but does little beyond reinforcing the film’s supernatural leanings. Odunlade Adekola’s appearance as a shady driver feels random, as if he was added just for comedic effect. Anne Kansiime injects humour as Adetutu’s friend, but like many characters in the film, she remains underdeveloped. The film leans so much on humour that it often undercuts the seriousness of the story, making it hard to fully connect with the characters.

Technical Aspects

Malaika looks polished visually, but its technical choices take away from the experience. The sound design is distracting, with loud background music forcing emotions instead of letting the story do the work. The action scenes, especially the martial arts-style fight, feel out of place, making the film seem unsure of what it wants to be.

While the cinematography and production design are decent, they don’t do much to elevate the storytelling. The Lagos Light Rail scene is a nice touch, but it feels more like a publicity stunt than an important part of the film. Product placements blur the line between storytelling and advertising. The film tries to mix traditional Yoruba theatre with modern Nollywood, but instead of blending smoothly, it ends up feeling messy and all over the place.

Final Thoughts

One of the biggest issues with Malaika is its failure to define its own conflict. The film repeatedly shows Adetutu losing pregnancies, yet it refers to her condition as infertility rather than miscarriage. This fundamental mistake creates confusion about what the film is actually exploring. Is it about a woman who struggles to conceive, or a woman who cannot carry a pregnancy to term? This mistake weakens the story from the start.

If spirituality is meant to be central to the story, then the film should have built it up properly. Instead, Adetutu’s path to spiritual intervention is rushed, leaving little time for the audience to connect with her journey. Rather than gradually showing her struggle to find answers, the film jumps straight to a moment of truth, making it feel unearned. While she fully accepts the spiritual explanation, the lack of buildup makes her transformation feel too easy. By not immersing the audience in her search for answers, the film weakens the very perspective it chooses to centre its story around.

The film also struggles with identity—at times, it feels like a family drama, at other times, it leans into comedy, and by the end, it turns into an action-packed rescue mission. This uneven mix makes it difficult to fully engage with its message.

Verdict

Malaika is an ambitious but uneven mix of family drama, comedy, action, and spirituality that struggles to stay focused. While it has entertaining moments, its messy storytelling and exaggerated performances make it a film that values spectacle over depth. It’s best enjoyed with low expectations.

Rating: 2/5