Mistresses

From the poster to the trailer to the cast, the movie Mistresses doesn’t really invite you in. The movie is centered around three mistresses who are tired of playing ‘the other woman’ role to the men in their respective lives, and are seeking a more permanent role. From Medina the manager of a musician who is also doubling up as his lover, to Nikita the lady who actually falls in love with the men so much so that it might seem destructive for her, and Lauren the boss lady who will not rest until her archnemesis – her lover’s wife – is permanently out of the picture.

The movie has the makings of your conventional Tonto Dikeh movie, and to be honest the only thing missing was Miss Dikeh, that was until the second half. In the wink of an eye the story turns from a runs girls drama to a supposedly high paced crime. If you thought the movie was tedious in the first half then the second half will blow your mind. I honestly rewinded wondering whether or not I had missed something because the speed at which the story switched up on me was entirely sudden. After that, the pace was off; you could not tell which was a flashback, a flashforward or present day.

The movie had major problems with editing and continuity in the second half but it wasn’t as bad as the acting in the overall movie. There really was just one standout actress in the entire film, Ruth Kadiri, with Moyo Lawal as a close second. Her character really is the engine that keeps this train wreck in motion. And for those, like me, who were reeled in to watch this movie by Yvonne Nelson’s face on the cover then you’ll be disappointed to here that again this is a rip off. Her face was arguably just used to sell yet another Nollywood movie as the lady was in about 5-7 scenes in all in this movie. The rest were filled with Halima’s gra-graness, Mary Uranta’s attempt at acting, and Sylvia Nduka’s repeated assault on the English Language.

I am at a loss at the importance of the two scenes shot in London. Was it really necessary? I believe the movie could have done without them and they really didn’t do anything to help the movie.

All in all, the Mistress is yet another runs movie with a twist, the twist being a desperate but failed attempt at a crime flick. The story has way too many loose ends. And the attempt at tying together 4 different stories ended up working against them as all four stories eventually fell short in development along the way.