'The Supreme Price'

In select cinemas now!

'The Supreme Price' tells the story of the rise of the Pro-Democracy Movement in Nigeria; starting with the 1993 election of Moshood Kashimawa Olawale Abiola, that was quickly overturned and led to yet another military coup in the country, and moving on to his daughter Hafsat who currently runs the organisation. She campaigns for women's rights in the country having been inspired by her mother, who took her husbands mantle when he was arrested by the military dictator who annulled his election.

Let's get the technical glitches dealt with, the pacing is a little slow, the sound bits could have been worked into the scenes with a little more speed and the minimal graphics that are used last much too long and don't seem to match with the narration. But these are minor niggles even though they did distract me ever so briefly. The slightly bigger issue that bugged me is the way in which the film flits from one idea to another. Now there is a lot of information going on here - politics, religion, heavy subject matters, but it felt a little like we weren't give time to digest one before we jumped to the next. It all balanced out and everything got it's fair share and I wasn't left confused or wanting at the end, but I noticed it at the time.

That very nit picky criticism aside the film is incredibly moving and kept me engaged all the way to the end. The subject is not something I am particularly familiar with I must admit but it is a fascinating story, made all the more shocking as the timeline slowly approaches and you realise this isn't something that happened but rather something that is happening now.

The truth of the story is an incredibly powerful thing, even if as a westerner my country comes across as unfeeling at best and criminally corrupt at the worst. The story is more than compelling enough to hold together what is, if I'm completely honest, a somewhat shaky production, and I find myself moved by a plight I was largely unaware of before. This is an important piece of film that needed to be made about people who deserve to go down in history for their convictions and determination. Thoroughly recommend for any documentary fan.

Review by Kristian Mitchell-Dolby.

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