The feminist force in 'Òlòtūré'

Òlòtūré is a 2019 movie following the life of Òlòtūré who goes by Ehi to work. Òlòtūré (Sharon Ooja) is a journalist in an undercover role as a sex worker to garner information about the tragic and abusive industry of sexual exploitation in Nigeria. She goes through various trials and tribulations as Ehi while trying to maneuver around several problems. Ehi lives in Sandra's (Omawumi Megbele) house with other sex workers but is a friend and roommate to Linda (Omowunmi Dada). She learns of an opportunity to go to Europe from Linda. Ehi expresses her distress after running barefoot from a customer. She hopes the men would be different in Europe but after Linda negates that possibility, she focuses on the monetary value. Linda admits she was told about this person by a friend as she was in Benin City. She left for Lagos in hopes of her and her sister travelling to gain betterment for their family once in Europe. Linda agrees to help her despite the secretive nature of the lady.

Linda visits Alero (Omoni Oboli), the lady in charge of her move to Europe to make her monthly payment for the total amount. While there she asks some questions for assurance. She asks if her sister could still go with them but Alero asks about her age and sexual status before answering. When told that her sister is seventeen and still a virgin, she confirms she could come but tells Linda to keep her a virgin. Ehi follows Linda and is caught by Alero's security. She protects Linda and says she pestered her about it so much that she followed her there. Alero is still displeased and does not accept Ehi joining them. Linda is furious and yells at Ehi for potentially ruining her plans after all she endured and sacrificed. However, Ehi stays back to gain more information about her and relays the information to Emeka(Blossom Chuwkujeku), her co-worker at The Scoop. Linda forgives Ehi after receiving her apology and peace offering. Linda lets her know Alero asked her to recruit some ladies for an upcoming politician's party and Alero asked for Ehi to be there. Ehi accepts it and they talk at the party before she is introduced to Sir Phillip (Patrick Doyle), the host. With pressure from Alero, she accepts a tour from Sir Phillip. During it he brings her drugged Champagne which she successfully pours while pretending it's a mistake. She leaves to take a break in the bathroom and when she returns she claims she's ill. However, she is not allowed to leave instead she is given some pills to take as a solution to her issue.

With obvious pressure to take it, she does. After she takes it she requests to leave but he tells her to wait and let the pill work. She becomes immobile but begs him not to do this to her as he carries her to the bed. He rapes her as she lays there weeping. When he's done, he leaves and thanks Alero for her service. He says she did a great job and he will need her services for an upcoming party before they praise each other and kiss. Alero goes to Ehi ignores her appearance and lets her know that the party is over. She says they want to leave and calls her a "puttana." An Italian vulgar word which is similar to "whore", "slut", "bitch", or "prostitute". This rape culture is so normalized that the men not too far from Ehi who is being carried out are unfazed and discussing. Linda comforts her in the vehicle back home. Ehi goes through a series of emotions. She vomits and visits the hospital before going home to scrub the filth of it all off her as she screams, cries, and shouts. Ehi avoids everyone including Emeka who worries about her since he didn't receive an update from her but she returns to Sandra's house. She is visited by Alero who says she has been looking for her. She is given money from that night and feedback about the praise Sir Phillip gave her before asking if she still wanted to go to Europe. She confirms her interest and Alero tells her she could be added but has to pay. Alero also makes it a point to say that she would be different from the other girls. She says she would not be a "common puttana" working the streets but in a group called "forze speciali" to escort important people as she did. Chuks' (Ikechukwu Onunaku) encouragement for Ehi to take this as a lesson part of the experience because there's "nothing wey you fit take big man do." He tells her that if she were one of his girls he would have been able to protect her but she hurriedly leaves after comparing it to how he's been treating Blessing. Ehi met Chuks to ask if he knew anyone who could hurt someone but she gained nothing. This helplessness demands her to take charge of her revenge. Ehi reluctantly reunites with Emeka and he attempts to stop the mission but she rejects it. She tells him, "This is no longer your story. It is now my story. And I would get to the end of it with or without you."

Emeka tried to encourage Òlòtūré to not forget that she was only acting but everything happening was real and it worsened so much that she became unwilling to separate the identities. She could distinguish them by changing her hair and outfit to visit her mother or Emeka but she became determined by the vengeance to expose much more. She helps Linda and protects her sister, Beauty (Bukola Oladipupo) as they head to Europe. She supports and protects Beauty so much that she slows down to allow her to run away from the bus before they cross the border into the Republic of Benin. Ehi endured many trials. The first client she ran away from was someone Vanessa (Wofai Samuels) wanted. Vanessa felt slighted by his attention redirecting to Ehi who didn't want to accept him to avoid any issues but the issues still came about. Vanessa vents her frustration at losing money from a potential client. She calls Ehi too naive and a "learner" incompetent of doing her simple job because she would know how to handle a drunk customer if she had experience. She tells her that if she takes her client again she will not be happy. With another client, Ehi is chosen over Linda in the presence of Vanessa she uses that moment to insult Ehi. Vanessa tells him to choose her instead if he wants a better woman before they hurl insults at each other. Vanessa also insults Ehi when Emeka visits in search of Ehi before being informed that she left already. Vanessa is upset that even in Ehi's absence she is still ruining potential clients for her. She tells him that she could make him forget her after laughing at him for falling in love with an "olosho." Upset about the rejection, she insults Ehi before leaving.

Vanessa and Blessing were left behind in Sandra's house. Ehi was empathetic about Blessing's situation. She tried to console a bruised and weeping Blessing one evening which led to a discussion. Ehi deduced that Chuks did it to her and asked why it was happening before suggesting that she could use apps to find people instead of staying with him. She told Ehi that he would kill her if she left him. She said that there were numerous girls like her under his watch in the house but she's the only one left and he would deal with her if she decided to leave him. She lamented about her situation and Ehi comforted her which she appreciated and thanked her for. Unfortunately, Chuks found out. He confronted and strangled her as he talked to her. He told Ehi that he knows a prostitute when he sees one and he knows she's not one but is hiding something. He asked if she was a police officer and she denied it before he said he could just kill her and nothing would happen. He said she "would just be another dead ashawo for roadside" before saying he would kill her if she talked to Blessing about leaving him again and released her. Blessing tries to get away from Chuks by begging Alero to go to Europe with the other girls but Alero recognizes her as Chuk's girl. She tells her she doesn't want to deal with someone who has a "master" despite Blessing's pleas of wanting to change her life which Chuks saw and beat her terribly for. In Ehi's report she gave Emeka, she wrote about Blessing's unfortunate predicament as it read, "Blessing is Chuks's last girl. She is an orphan and was abused by the state since she was a kid. Broken, bruised and battered, Blessing cannot escape Chuks's grasp. He has too much power over her, and she has nowhere else to go. And the two of them seem to be on an inexorable slow train to disaster." Many worry about Blessing including Vanessa who helped take Blessing away from Chuks at the beginning of the movie. She told her she didn't know why she was still with him but she didn't need him. Many worry about her but avoid her to prevent issues for themselves rendering her stuck with him.

Òlòtūré is "a journalist with more bravery than sense." She was beaten and taken back to the bus after letting Beauty escape. More of her story is in the 2024 Netflix series, Òlòtūré: The Journey. Òlòtūré is a movie which tells the heart-wrenching and triggering tale many have survived or died doing. Despite her worlds blending, she took charge of the story to tell the horrors hidden no matter what. Òlòtūré encountered all sorts of men and all sorts of women on her journey to expose the reality that many of the ladies around her live in hopes of betterment. Beauty was plunged into this world like Òlòtūré despite the difference of one being for duty and the other for necessity. She remained true to her values, and the mission while supporting others whenever she could.

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