Friends Or Foes

Umm…

Is there a part two for this? Did they just run out of film/time/energy/money? This is not the kind of film that should end on a cliff-hanger, if that was the intention of the filmmaker. It literally just ends. Plot unresolved. I’m seriously asking.

The plot aims to be some updated version of “I belong”, with a single character stringing along a group of girlfriends. It is kind of interesting but soon gets repetitive, the sneaky character messes up something or the other; they find out, rinse and repeat. It is engaging even though it rings a bit shallow. The characters were a mixed bunch, the one played by Belinda Effah is so unlikeable and abrasive that it is irritating to watch her; you start to wonder why anyone will put themselves in contact with the girl. Dabby Chimere’s has no personality but the singer was nice. As said earlier, the story just cuts out with no resolution, right in the middle of the scene and before the climax. Apart from that, the situations seem unrealistic and unbelievable especially considering the claims it makes. A top actress doesn’t have a stylist, PA or anything. More on that later. But the story is not that bad, it is mildly interesting, the film fails on other levels. I liked how it was current , incorporated contemporary things such as twitter and celebrity blogs without seeming cheesy, it was original.

The acting was unbelievable. Not unbelievably bad or unbelievably good, I just did not believe that these were top actors, producers and singers.Sometimes there was not enough energy from Dabby Chimere-even though this is her film- and Danielle Okeke. It was just so hard to believe, they had no presence at all. Belinda Effah was better, but she seemed so abrupt and erratic. They may have just been her directing, and if so kudos. Jojo Charry was not bad, not bad at  all.  But again that wasn’t the bad part of the film, it is mildly irritating.

What really let this film down was the production values specifically the audio. It sounded like they recorded it in someone’s boy’s quarter. It is really noticeable and makes the whole thing amateur. The locations, wardrobe and props made it look even cheaper.Some scenes were  not well lit at all and actors’ names were spelt badly. I straight up did not believe that these people were top anything. The storyline was just too ambitious and made too many claims that could not be met.

In conclusion, this would have been an average movie if not for ending and the production values. The audio is really jarring but you get used to it after a while. It is still just Okay, nothing is so wrong to term it woeful. If there was a part 2, I would watch that, but I’m not sure that it is a compliment to the film or whether this is just an immunity built up from watching Nollywood.