Birthmark

It’s late at night and I should be sleeping but two hours ago I made the silly mistake of hitting play on a great movie thinking that I’d be able to stop and go off to sleep whenever. Oh, how wrong I was.

Birthmark is the story of a 20 year old boy who is insensibly infatuated with his 35 year old nanny. The boy, Ade, is played by newcomer Joshua Richards, and his nanny, Menna, is played by Ini Edo.

Unlike your usual nollywood movie, this movie does not just tell you that Ade loves Menna but its shown to you first. It has that “Love Regardless” appeal of a love story that one just can’t explain but also one just can’t stop watching. As the events unravel and his love unfolds, the viewer is caught up in this confusion of a love story. Unlike in love regardless, you don’t at any point root for the relationship to come to fruition (that was not the writer’s idea), but yet the viewer is brought to a place where you can fully empathize with Ade’s unrequited love.

By the end of the movie, just when you thought you’d seen and heard it all, another twist for the ages is thrown in. Honestly, I know that there is nothing new under the sun but this movie is definitely one of the most original movies I have seen in a while (unless the storyline is copied from somewhere, please don’t be afraid to share your knowledge in the comments).

It’s a beautiful performance from all involved: from the chemistry of Bimbo Manuel and wife, to Ini Edo’s embodiment of her character at each point, to the completely and immensely geeked out Femi Jacobs, to this breakout actor of the year – Joshua Richards.

Birthmark envelopes you. It is easy to get into and easy to stay into. The storyline could have been a delicate line between “unbelievable” and “well delivered”, but it hit ‘well-delivered’ precisely. It was no surprise when the end credits came rolling and we see that it was directed by Moses Inwang.