Ifunanya

I straight up did not like this movie. Not because of any elements that it exhibited, however good there were, but because of its social commentary. This is not a new film, I have watched it so many times, and while some parts where unpredictable and original, they weren’t numerous. The same old tired stereotype of the wicked woman versus the poor orphan. I’m so tired of it, why don’t we make stories of redemption and forgiveness rather than punishment and judgement. It would be both fascinating and exciting.

The characters were supposed to come across as good guys. I disliked almost every character from the poor orphan girl, to the strangely abusive fiancé to the judgemental church aunties to, worse of the entire cast, the pastor. They were so judgemental and harsh, and even a throwaway line at the end couldn’t save their characterisations. I closed it three times in anger. The orphan character just ticked boxes, was not sympathetic but instead was pathetic. If you have a job, that seems to pay well, why are you still living with your aunty that abuses you? You have a choice! If you have no connection to your boyfriend/fiancé why are you still with him even though he abuses you? There was no sense.

Chika Ike shined very brightly here, both in acting and in looks. She gave depth to her character and made her enjoyable to watch. Paul Sambo had some funny moments but not even his acting, good as it was, could save him from his character. Theresa Dickson as the downtrodden orphan was great, although at times it felt like she was floundering and didn’t know what to say or what her character was doing in that given scene. Ebele Okaro was also brilliant as well as her other sisters. I can find no fault in any of the acting except Bryan Okwara. I did not see the point of him, his acting was alright but his part couldn’t be rescued by any type of acting. It was the Hanks Anuku, abusive boyfriend whatever that used to be really popular a while ago. There was a point where he burst into the wedding ceremony ( what he was doing there nobody knew, who shot him nobody knew, that whole scene was a mess) and I  had to check what  year I was watching this film in.

The sets looked off. Maybe it was the lighting but at times the sets and backgrounds looked washed out and the other times it looked bright and harsh. There was just something off about it. The wedding gowns did not endear themselves to me, they looked old, and like something that Genevieve would have worn in 2004. The actors’ wardrobes on the other hand were flawless and really complimentary.

In conclusion, while I find the film old, tedious and enraging, it’s not bad and actually interesting to watch. Objectively it is not a bad film to watch but if you want something exciting and novel, it’s not for you. By the way, It was awesome to hear Hausa on screen, it’s a really nice language.