2023 Sundance Film Festival Movie Review: Mami Wata

Mami Wata is a stunning cinematic experience. Director C.J. ‘Fiery’ Obasi put his blood, sweat, and tears into this seven-year process of making the film and the final product was worth the effort. Mami Wata is a gorgeous movie rooted in West African folklore.

Set in the remote West African village of Iyi. the villagers worship a Mermaid-diety named Mami Wata, who lives in the body of water on the island’s coast. The villagers look to guidance from Mama Efe (Rita Edochie), an intermediary between them and Mami Wata, her daughter, Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh), and her protege Prisca (Evelyne Ily). The village is running in the guise of Mama Efe and believes that Mami Wata is taking care of their village. 

But when children begin to die and go missing, the villagers, led by Jabi (Emeka Amakeze), start to become restless and begin doubting Mama Efe. When a rebel warlord named Jasper (Kelechi Udegbe) arrives at the village, a revolt against Mama Efe and the old ways arises. It soon becomes up to Zinwe and Prisca to defend the village.

Obasi takes us into the depths of Iyi, smartly showing us how the village functions before getting into any major action or plot points. It’s slower, but worth it, because then we fully understand all character motivations, the importance of Mami Wata in the village, and why there is a rise in animosity towards Mama Efe and her ways of thinking. Mama Efe thinks in an old-school way, keeping the traditions of past intermediaries and continuously remembering the great things Mami Wata has done for the village without looking to the future and thinking of changes in the village.

Mami Wata is one of the most gorgeous movies I have ever seen attending the Sundance Film Festival, a film festival I have been attending in-person and online since 2011. I put Mami Wata on my most anticipated movies of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival list simply based on the film’s one-sentence synopsis and the image the festival gave in its program and it did not disappoint. The black and white cinematography pops off the screen and is utilized beautifully to highlight the dark skin of the villagers. Their white face paint feels like it’s glowing and the sequences shot at night are never too dark and you can see all the action. The production design, costumes, and make-up are rooted in West African culture and help immerse us more into this culture with this village.

Mami Wata is a story about sisterhood, leadership, and change. I was in a state of hypnosis watching this film. Obasi passionately directs a film that is near to his heart and his culture while also giving us a visual stunner that is sure to be one of the best-looking movies not only at Sundance but of the year.

Mami Wata premiered in the World Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

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