REVIEW OF THE MILKMAID BY KWAME MCPHERSON

It is one thing to read the introducing synopsis of a documentary or film but it is something entirely different when the summarisation is played out before you on screen. That can be said about The Milkmaid and in a way, the synopsis does not do it justice!

The Milkmaid is about the jihadist insurgency in Nigeria.

The film charts the emotional journey of Aisha and her sister Zainab - the main protagonists - and what happened when jihadist militants kidnapped them from their village. The opening scene is a flashback by Aisha and throughout the 2 hour 15-minute film, there are a number of times when she takes us on these journeys. In it she falsely leads a set of her fellow villagers into a trap where jihadists lie in wait…at the crucial moment she wakes in a start. It was a dream or was it? A premonition of what is to come? The story then weaves through and engrossing tale of love, betrayal, hate, conflict and redemption. Naturally, not wishing to give anything away, the meandering story between Dangana, Aisha and her sister, Zainab (who had changed her name to Fathiyya) is interesting how it unfolds from them being kidnapped to actually becoming wives. The issues that come to play with religious extremism, abandonment and jealousy.

The cinematography captures the culture of the people, including the local villagers and jihadists and displays the richness in the clothes and habitats. In an early scene a wedding takes place and the way in which the bride is adorned, the music and dancing is rich and alive. To add the natural allure of the culture is the beauty of north-eastern Nigeria, where The Milkmaid was filmed. Its topography caught in all its beauty of rolling green, sometimes mist-covered hills, in-between the scenes of tall trees and shots of a wide and beautiful river.

Be warned that there is violence. And it portrays what we sometimes see, read or hear on mainstream news or social media. It is stark, raw. It is emotive and moving. It is frightening and makes what others in this world go through on a daily basis – real. Be prepared.