Child Seller

This movie has a strong opening, engaging and intriguing however you could probably see the thread untangling until a very messy end. Multiple storylines are good when the writer knows how to handle it and can display a level of expertise. The verdict here would be practice more.

The movie is definitely misnamed and the synopsis focuses on what was a very little part of the actual story. The plot was, as said above, interesting. It was really like some mix-up between a Nigerian House of Cards and a Mexican soap opera. I really liked how at first the characters were all morally bankrupt, it showed a level of depth that Nollywood writers are afraid or unwilling to go to.  They were all killers, thieves, fraudsters and deceivers .However all that was lost in an effort to conform to a happy ending and what an ending it was. Storylines were forgotten or unsatisfactorily resolved plot elements included our old friends: arbitrary suicide and deliverance from juju. This need for a happy ending also meant that characters that you can clearly see are horrible people are given a happy ending. You can just see where the writer started to lose the grip on their story.

Acting wise you can expect nothing less from Mercy Johnson, Mike Ezuruonye and Patience Ozokwor. Angela Okorie didn’t really impress here and Eniola Badmus was grating and really starts to get on the nerves. She needs to diversify after all she cannot be Apollonia in all movies. We haven’t seen this for a while but the extras were woeful especially the lady that played the president’s daughter and Mike Ezuruonye’s sister. She improved a little over the course of the film but that first scene was eye wateringly bad. Ifeyinwa Ayua as Senator Joy was flawless, she held her own impressively in scenes against Patience Ozokwor and was such a joy to watch. Linda Johnson as Tiran was hit and miss- sometimes shining sometimes failing.

The location and set pieces were so bad; they really did not gel with the movie. A presidential home shouldn’t look like some random two bedrooms flat. The meeting of party leaders takes place in a school hall. We are meant to be talking about ministers and senators but the locations did not fit and pulls you out of the film. The special effects were mediocre and quite frankly unneeded. It felt long, longer than it actually was because the ending was drawn out too much.

In conclusion, while there is a lot wrong with this film there is also a lot right with it. I would recommend it because there are some aspirations and ambitions to it. Again I must complain about the title, it has very very little to do with a child seller and it wasn’t even a major plot point.