All Shades of Wrong

You can probably fault Biodun Stephen movies for a few thingss but it is yet to be for the storytelling. This movie had me feeling all shades of emotions. It took me from an unsuspecting “oh who is this?” to an iffy “Hmm… maybe… but nah! It can’t be” to a full on “all these people are mad people. Raving lunatics!”

In All Shades of Wrong (ASOW), things aren’t all they seem when Bartholomew (played by Femi Jacobs) returns from visiting his aunt in the village after promising to take care of her daughter’s education but there’s a grown woman/love interest living at home with him.

There was once a phase of nollywood movies where we got one domestic abuse story after the other and then another and another. Eventually they all became the same and looking past the moral of the story, I wondered if no nollywood writer would ever be able to tell the story differently. Then in comes Biodun Stephen. The sell of this movie is that it is not run of the mill in any manner that you would expect from this sort of a storyline. It intrigues you and captivates you while also confusing you and disgusting you at the same time – and all this is before the character’s true personas are revealed. By the end of the movie, even though there is a clear villain/bad guy, you almost feel like you would have accepted an alternative ending. It almost feels like you feel bad for the villain. It truly pulls you into the dilemma of the victims in real life.

And the story on paper couldn’t have pulled you without the performances in this film. After seeing the teaser for ASOW on instagram, I remember thinking “yaasss Femi and Bimbo” let’s go there. This is because I was already aware of the skill arsenal that Mr. Jacobs possesses, and Bimbo is one actress that is yet to cease to amaze me with how much she can do. However, I was still under the assumption that this would be a love story and these two would show a different kind of enigmatic chemistry. By the end of the film I was still thinking “yaasss Femi and Bimbo”, but for very different reasons. There is chemistry but there is way more than that. Bimbo unravels in this film and truly becomes this character. After seeing her in “Backup Wife” and then seeing her in this, it is clear that this lady has no limits. And then there is Femi. There is no better way of explaining his performance other than referring back to what I already said which is that he will have you pitying his character. This doesn’t just happen by sway but instead because he gives layers to this character.

Moving away from the storyline for a bit, it’s important to point out that this movie is not without its flaws – and I am not just talking about the fact that Liz returns to Nigeria after 2 years but she still has the same hairstyle with the exact same parting method so you can’t even say she had it redone. It’s becoming a constant frustration of mine to watch some of our movies and the way we light them. The video quality of this movie was crisp but the lighting could use some salvation. There are many scenes that are not even set at nighttime but you have difficulty seeing the actor’s faces and all you see are shadows. Or should we mention the scene where the lighting was rioting with the makeup on Bimbo’s face and making her appear clownish with white powder on her face.

Beyond the lighting, this movie had amazing music and the cinematography attempts to work hand in hand with the music to elevate it. Unfortunately the cinematography never gets past the ‘attempt’ and into actual greatness. There were one too many shots, especially in the living room, that start off as though they will be beautiful spectacles but then there is just chasing and no beauty really comes out of it in the end.

All in all, ASOW is a beautifully told story with characters that truly pull you in. After watching this film and realizing that it is a true life story, you might begin to truly fear the people around you. It is scary to think that Liz’s character would possibly still be living in the same nightmare if not for her exposure. It’s amazing what exposure can do for you and for your film (all pun intended).

…and many others