Spotlight

Say what you want about Royal Arts Academy, but one thing no one can deny is their unmatched ability in discovering new talent. From Belinda Effah to Tamara Eteimo, there’s always a present surprise coming through and the new actors in spotlight are no different.

Spotlight follows the lives of a few individuals who enroll in a six week acting academy. First we have Hope James played by Mena Sodje who is a struggling actress. Hope, the average pidgin toting daughter of a Mushin road-side seller, has done everything (and then some more) to come up in the industry and hopes that this academy will finally be her big break.

Then there is Shiza played by Lota Chukwu, the daughter of a successful lawyer who wants nothing more than for his daughter to follow in his footsteps but she has other plans. She enrolls in this academy without her father’s knowledge and lies to him that she is attending computer school.

Finally there is Anjola, played by Onyeka Emechebe. Anjola is an indecisive lady with no degrees and a boyfriend of five years who has learned to disrespect and she has learned to accept it as norm. With this academy though, she is determined to prove to him that she can do more with her life and is worth more.

Along the way, each of these ladies develop a friendship and form a bond. Their stories don’t just end where they start but it progresses. This movie is corny for daayyyyyyssss but it is entirely too appealing. The characters will have you talking to your screen and literally laughing out loud.

There is a relatability to many of the characters, especially Hope, and it is a feel good movie so you fall in love right along with the characters. But none of this would be possible if these actors were not so good. Each and everyone of the new performers was utterly impressive especially considering that they are new faces. I am eagerly awaiting each of their next works. From the already listed actors to the lady that plays Valerie and Ikechukwu Akanno that plays Kolade (especially this guy and his amazing chemistry with Onyeka/Anjola), every single one of these actors were impressive.

However, the movie is not all rose and gold. I will go ahead and say it before you do that it is not a very original concept neither is it unpredictable but the story is entertaining and as one of the characters rightfully points out early in the movie (and I paraphrase) “entertainment is the most important thing”.