“Osamede” (2025) adapts the Lilian Olubi’s stage play with the same title. Set in 1897, the British empire is overrunning the Benin Kingdom. Iyase (William Benson) and his spiritual right hand hypeman, Edokpolor (Osagie Elegbe), search for the Aruosa stone to use its power to fight the British. The high priestess, Adaze (Tosin Adeyemi), refuses to give it to Iyase because she knows that he would unleash that power on his people. With her husband, Edugie (Alex Kristen), she flees with the stone’s power and gives birth to a girl. Adaze entrusts her child to the blacksmith, Agbokhai (Paul Obazele), who keeps the girl’s identity a secret, but Osamede (Ivie Okujaye) is tirelessly dedicated to justice and fighting for others. Her nature puts her in the crosshairs of the British Major Roger Wild (Alexander Bud) and the imprisoned Iyase, who never stopped looking for the stone so he can take its power. Will Osamede become the people’s champion?
Storm, Black Panther, Monica Rambeau, Valkyrie, Catwoman, Domino, Sister Night, Thunder and Lightning welcome a new Black woman superhero imbued with the power of the gods. Okujaye seems tiny but mighty with the look of determination in her eyes and a physical performance that does most of the work for this budget indie historical fantasy production. It is a good thing that Osamede has powers because she is the kind of person that would either be hurt or killed for being outspoken and urging collective action. Osamede has nothing but contempt for the colonizers, their allies, religious forces and indigenous imperialists. While there are repeat allusions to rape threats, she is never hurt. Because Osamede did not know that she had powers, her actions are more courageous, and the powers are just an insurance policy against such harm.
If “Osamede” is frustrating, there are not enough scenes of her kicking butt or when she does, the camera turns away. Again, it is an indie film, but when Iyase goes on rampages, he gets more fighting sequences with graphic detail, which includes a burning head. Director James Kalu Omokwe is making this film for a Nigerian audience, not a vengeful American one, and it is easy to infer that they do not want to see their heroes enjoying the downfall of their enemies. While Osamede clearly defeats her foes decisively, her acts are treated decorously because the point of the movie is a moral about collective action and fighting as the underdog, not relishing the defeat of your enemies. It also explains that instead of setting up a training sequence so she can harness and control her powers, her struggle is more about internal discipline, bravery and her origin story. No “RRR” (2022) or “The Woman King’ (2022) in this anti colonizer, anti-slavery film. She does share traits with Wonder Woman, Storm, Magneto and Black Panther, but is clearly her own person with a mythology unique to her regarding a sacrificial chief and a village in need. The mythology is offered quickly and with little background other than a flashback that ends with a scene already shown, which is an unnecessary repetition. One could infer that Nigerian audiences are already familiar with the god and folklore referenced in the narrative so everyone else will have to do homework.
The moral did not seem like a punk out, but earnest. “Osamede” becomes a tale of never surrendering or accepting defeat regardless of the odds. Osamede’s mettle is like Superman’s resolve in the 2025 incarnation. She would rather die than do nothing. It is a relatable message that Black women across the diaspora will resonate with. She never loses her fervor to right wrongs. While the extras exaggerate shivering and trembling in fear, it is a way to remind the audience how unusual Osamede is. Even though her parents did not raise her, the family resemblance is clear, and somehow even without the stone’s power, she is more resolute than her mother.
Osamede does get a champion, Nosa (Lexan Aisosa Peters), a translator for the British, whom she initially dismisses as a collaborator, but he proves his worth when he takes her side. Nigerian film seems more conservative than Indian films because the implication is that Nosa is a love interest, but everything remains chaste, and there are no professions of love. Hand holding happens. While Peters is a solid actor, I was initially excited that Osamede had a best friend, Dizola (Etinosa Idemudia), but she gets underutilized as a foil who falls to pieces whenever there was a conflict. Nosa did not seem good at being her bodyguard. While it made sense for him to travel with her, he was a bit anti-climactic, but maybe everyone will just be happy to look at Peters. If the male character is not a protector or a fervent love interest, I would prefer a character who could bring new insight to the character like Aisosa (Debbie Ohiri), the ancient mother of the mountain people who knows about the stone, the blacksmith, or Aigbande (Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen), the religious man in the market to provide an odd couple comedic relief. Nosa is the safe, conventional choice.
In foreign films where most of the cast is not European, the weakest link is always the European actors, and if you watch a lot of South Korean movies and television series, you will be prepared for “Osamede.” Even without powers, Iyase was two times the size of the average colonizer, and they did not seem confident wielding their weapons under the best conditions. The acting was uneven. It did feel as if “Osamede” understandably pulled some punches in handling the colonizers because the final scene makes it clear that the colonizers would be addressed without force.
If your friends do not hype you up like Edokpolor rides for Iyase, do not bother. That character is ready to die for Iyase so he can give him powers, but it is a promise that is sadly not kept. Iyase seemed like a credible threat, and Benson was consistently imposing even behind bars. Iyase got all the fight scenes that showed how the blows landed. Even so, it will not be enough for Americans, who love the catharsis of graphic violence especially when the villain is after another bad guy. It is good that “Osamede” pulled back when Iyase targeted innocent villagers.
“Osamede” feels like a strong pilot to a television series. There is so much more story, and it feels like the titular hero is just at the beginning of her journey. How does she deal with the British? What happened to the mountain people? How does she restore government and train new leaders to restore the kingdom since she is disinterested in traditional power structures? What is she like at full strength? Do other people have the power of the gods? Unlike other Black women superheroes, she is not part of a pantheon of other heroes, but the main attraction. We want more.
