Director: Onyeka Onwelue
Screenplay: Onyeka Onwelue
Cast: Tosan Dudun, Richard Emeruwa, Helen Isamon, Pearl Ogbulu, Chioma Amaryllis Ahaghotu
Genre: Drama
Year: 2017
“There are so many layers to so many stories…” is what follows after the sound of a masturbating man in “The Great Masturbator.” The lead character is introduced masturbating. In his bathroom, are pictures of older women, with each bath, he exalts a photo of an older woman. We find out that these women are dead, and that Stan is a victim of sexual abuse. His aunt Ngozi introduced him to sexual acts from a very young age. Aunty Ngozi was 29, and Stan 9. This affects his psyche. His obsession with masturbation is not the only problem highlighted, Stan kills older women too.
“The Great Masturbator” is inspired by the painting of surrealist artist Salvador Dali.
Onyeka Nwelue narrates the situation before we get a proper idea of how deeply the abuse has affected Stan. The title is as daring as the content. And despite some amateur actors, the voice narration stands out. The soundtrack is also a radical choice. There are so many thoughts as to why Onyeka uses a Catholic hymn in a story like this. To signify an impending redemption?
Like many short films, Onyeka does not leave us with a definite answer to Stan’s future, even after an arrest, he yells provocative words to the psychiatrist hired to help understand his problem.
Tosan Dudun appears nude in several scenes. Onyeka does not put any limitation on the art he creates with “The Great Masturbator.” His intention is to tell a daring story, and he does using unstable shots, to tell us of the problem ahead.
“The Great Masturbator” is a child abuse story that focuses on the damage abuse can have on the male child. It is important to explore different perspectives of a story, and “The Great Masturbator” could start an important conversation, that boys too, can be abused.
It earns an 8/10 from Xplore
