Mixed Reaction Trails Nollywood Movie ‘Penance’

By Shamsudeen Abubakar 

The movie ‘Penance’ has sparked intense debate among viewers, leaving a trail of mixed emotions in its wake. As the movie’s themes of vengeance, honesty, accountability, redemption, the power of money, and corruption continue to resonate deeply, audiences are torn between praise and criticism.

Directed by Awal Abdulfatai Rahmat in 2025, with a runtime of over 1 hour and 44 minutes, Penance features household names in its cast, including Nonso Bassey, Wale Ojo, Titilayo Awal, Ana Cele, and Uzoamaka Onuoha, among others.

The movie seamlessly weaves together past and present narratives, centring around Mr. Majekodunmi Adowonle, AKA ‘Majek (Wale Ojo), the charismatic CEO of a prestigious organisation.  The climax of it all started when a Youth Corps Member (NYSC), Alice Martins (Uzoamaka Onuoha), undertook her Primary Place of Assignment (PPA), setting the stage for a compelling story.

No sooner had she begun her NYSC than a traumatic event shook her to the core. Confiding in her sister, she made a shocking allegation against her boss, ‘Mr. Majek,’ accusing him of serious misconduct.

READ ALSO: Lekki LCDA Pupils gain confidence ahead of New Term as RBK applauds summer coaching

An investigation led by Detective Festus Obosa (Gregory ‘Teddybear’ Ojefua) is launched, with Mr. Majek being questioned and vehemently denying the allegations. However, Alice diligently gathers evidence and proves his guilt, ultimately leading to his conviction and downfall.

 

Mixed Reaction Trails the Movie Penance 

The movie ‘Penance’ has sparked a heated debate among students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and social media users. While some viewers praised the movie’s production quality, others expressed concerns about its content. 

For Olah Orja Grace, a final year Education student of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, the movie’s attention to detail was a major highlight. “I was impressed with the quality, graphics and costume of the movie,” she said. “ I even saw a BMW, which added to the movie’s authenticity.”

“It is actually an interesting movie with a nice premise, which elaborates on injustice and vengeance. The suspense of the movie is also amazing.” She added

She believed that what Alice did to help her ex-roommate by bringing the CEO to book is inspiring— and the past is always related to the present, “We need to be in check,” she continued, “The movie is not just a fiction, it’s a lesson to be learnt.”

However, not everyone shares Grace’s enthusiasm. Onuoha Grey Ojafua, a movie genius on YouTube with over 275 viewers, stated her comments in a review on February 1st, 2025.

She said that the movie ‘Penance’ shows that there was no connection between Mr. Majek and his wife throughout. She also asked if Mr. Majek deserved what had happened to him. “Mr. Majek and his lawyer have a common ground. The Detective eats apples, and the movie has a boring background, it’s too predictable,” She added.

Like Grace, Amoke Ade, also a final year student of the Education Department at UDUS, gave her own opinion about the movie. 

“The chief partially regretted what he did, as seen in the scene when the warder told him his daughter had come to see him, and to his surprise, it was Alice. Alice is also a betrayer because she does tricks, and she was not the one who got hurt,” Amoke told Lagos Voice.

“Moreso, the chief’s family knew he was an adulterer; that was why his wife intended to seek a divorce when she heard of what he did again, which implies life is a payback. “What you sow, you will surely reap it,” She concluded.

Similarly, Abdulateef Faruk, a 300-level student of the Educational Foundations Department, likes the role of honesty played by the Detective. “At first, he looks bad, but he later plays his role of honest Officer in accordance with the law.”

He also believed that Alice did the right thing by putting herself in a mess to get the chief caught because society would not believe that such a prestigious man could do such an evil thing without any evidence. Even though he did nothing to her, he did that in the past.

However, Abdulateef believes that Nigerian society shouldn’t believe that when you have money, you can play anyone you like and wipe away your evil acts without being caught. “If all Nigerian Policemen worked as the detective did, corruption in the Nigerian society would find no home,” he concluded.

“I Love Movies Filled with Suspense” — Ruth Joe

Ruth Joe posted on her blog in Stream 4, Nigeria. She expressed that she loves movies filled with suspense, not the ones you can easily predict from the beginning to the end. “To an extent, ‘Penance’ has suspense.” She pointed.

“There were scenes I felt were not really necessary in the movie. But I must tell you that the movie has a good picture quality, good costumes and music.” She commended.

She further emphasised that the actors did their best. They have done better, especially her favourite star, ‘Wale Ojo.’ “My rating for this movie is 7/10,” she added.

Also, Lizzy Pereowei made a review on her Facebook account. In her words: “One thing I can take home from this film is that the past has a way of catching up with the present. Albeit karma doesn’t always happen in real life the way we expect. In his next life, Mr. Majek would wish he had never met Alice.

“On the whole, had proper attention been paid to details, limiting the number of actors and keeping the story simple with a better direction, this would have had a far better outcome. It is nonetheless a worthy watch; I just don’t expect too much as it’s on average, hence, the final rating as stated above,” she explained.

Moreover, she was able to gather about 47 comments and 28 reactions after her review. Some of the comments below her review had a different view about the movie.

Grace Ochonia Okhio dropped a dissenting comment on Lizzy’s post, thus, “I didn’t enjoy the movie. I already predicted the girl was lying when she was speaking to her therapist.” 

Another commenter with the name Tobi Owolabi asked why the detective always chewed Apple. “Was that really necessary all the time?” He stated that the movie was below par for him.

Amarachi Agu asked if Alice had never been raped before in the movie because of the twist towards the end of the movie. “It was a nice movie, but I didn’t get the energy from most of the actors.” She said that some scenes felt off.

Muhibat Sulaimon from ‘The Capable Lifestyle Nigeria’ commended the movie and stated some of the flaws in her review.

She said that the main cast delivered strong performances, but some minor roles, particularly Majek’s business partner and his wife, fell short. Not only did their acting fail to meet expectations, but their presence in the film also seemed unnecessary.

In her words, “The story could have progressed effectively without them, which raises the question of why they were included in the first place,” she emphasised.

The movie’s makeup and social effects were notable flaws. Uzoamaka’s character, a traumatised rape victim, looked too polished even in scenes where she should have appeared vulnerable. The suicide scene also lacked authenticity, with the cut appearing unrealistic. A more thoughtful approach to makeup and social effects could have better conveyed the character’s emotional struggle. 

The movie ‘Penance’ has some flaws, ranging from poor makeup and special effects to an unnecessary epilogue that seemingly justifies the protagonist’s unethical actions, raising moral concerns.