Efficacy

This smart stylish film is an oldie but it is just so good. Not good great. It is sleek and it is such easy viewing. The scriptwriter must be given some kind of award, in creating such a flawed but still likeable character in Lucia. I have never seen monologue (what we call thoughts) handled so expertly. Whether by accident or design, characters come across as sincere and believably and the anti-hero element is communicated beautifully. Its low budget and has a small range of sets and props but the smooth dialogue and flawless delivery by the actors makes it all work together. The end was perfect, it was really understandable and while it is not what we as nollywood consumers are used it, it fits the whole movie and the characters themselves.

The plot is simple. Lucia, our anti-hero cannot stop lying. I love the introduction of the character, Stephanie Okereke, just post-accident, brings the character to life with aplomb that I doubt many actresses at that time could have pulled off. She had a fresh take on the character, made her likeable  and actually made you invested in Lucia; another actress say Genevieve would have played her as calculating and cold but she took has a warmer , more human approach. Desmond Elliot was great as ever, playing the part of the unwitting innocent caught in Lucia’s tangled web. All other actors were extras and they were as convincing with simplicity rarely found in movies nowadays.

Obviously there were some issues, problems that can be squarely laid at the feet of the continuity director, editors and producers. There were only one or two prolonged scenes and just one, one, unnecessarily long scene and even that one was interesting. The use of voice over and monologue allowed the complex character of Lucia to be revealed and worked better than say the actress speaking out loud. The film was really low budget, it showed, but that gave it more authenticity and more life. An expensive looking house, office or restaurant would have derailed the movie, would have hurt the characters and the plot.

The visual was really bad, Irokotv has the first part of this movie but you can find the second through a quick Google search. Obviously there will be a massive degrade in visuals and audio but it is worth it. Hopefully the second part will be found to put on the site so it can be enjoyed in better quality.

In conclusion, watch this movie. It’s clever and witty and just a diamond in the rough, in the vein of ‘I Belong’ but this time it took a different route.