Amina (2021) Review: A Fearless Warrior’s Tale

Amina is a feature film directed by Izu Okukwa and produced by Okechukwu Ogunjiofor. It stars Lucy Ameh, Clarion Chukwura, Ali Nuhu and Magaji Mijinyawa in pivotal roles. The movie is 105 minutes long. Amina is a true story based in the 16th-century revolving around the Zazzau empire warrior Queen Amina. She uses her military skills and tactics to protect her family’s kingdom.

– Amina review does not contain spoilers –

Amina is a period-drama, it will take you through a rollercoaster ride of emotions. It is packed with action and adventure. It moved and touched me emotionally. The narration is done exceptionally well. If you like to watch period films, then it’s a must watch for you.

The movie exhibits the incredible legacy of a great woman as one witnesses both her personal and professional life. She looks right in the eye of her enemy and takes up every challenge head on to carve out a way for herself and the people of her kingdom.

It begins with a sequence of two people of Zazzau fighting in front of the king and the entire kingdom and they are going against one another for their freedom. They don’t want to be slaves. The women of Zazzau are traded and they are oppressed. The antagonistic male domination is very evident and visible. I didn’t like the discrimination between men and women, as women are treated like objects, their voices are silenced and their opinions are not heard in the film.

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On the other side is Princess Amina, she is a young, curious and headstrong girl who wants to learn how to use a sword. In the Zazzau kingdom, a girl has never been taught the art of using military weapons but Amina convinced her father, the sun of Zazzau who owns seven kingdoms.cMadaki is his secretary. The Zazzau empire extends from Kano to River Niger, from Idah to Jukunland.

I liked that despite being born in a man’s world which revolved around brutal conflicts, weird animal passions and stifling timeless traditions, Amina paved her own path by facing different struggles but still coming out of it all as a legend. She proved to me that Amina fears nobody.

Destiny had some different plans for Amina, the story continued with a priestess showing her the way to Daura in order to save her people and her sister Zaria went along. The film feels like an in-depth character study of the respective characters as we oversee their lives and see their metamorphosis. It was shot in Nigeria and its post production took place in Europe.

She tasted her own share of pain, love and agony like a true warrior. Not only that, she fought against all the odds that life served her with great courage and conviction. Her purpose drove to her destiny. She aimed to build a more civil and humane environment for the people of Zazzau.

Amina is a tale of a bold, courageous and fearless woman who believes in herself and isn’t afraid of making difficult choices to get what she wants. I enjoyed the movie thoroughly. It made me realize that if you want something in life don’t wait for miracles to happen, instead go after it and create your own fate. She is a leader who leads from the front, paving the way of freedom for her people.

Amina Review: Final Verdict

The film is set up beautifully and it’s been an illuminating and delightful experience for me. The actors have given some power packed performances everything from their accents to costumes is believable and on point. The deeply layered storytelling and nuanced performances makes it stand out more. The action sequences seem to be shot with perfection. Overall, it’s a great movie. This can actually be a big film, taking the level of cinema another notch up.

Amina is streaming on Netflix.

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