The Other Wife

There is a one of a kind scene, the likes of which I had never seen before on a Nollywood screen in the movie ‘The Other Wife’. It was brief, enjoyable and incredibly Meta conversation between friends wherein they playfully spar about how bad Nollywood movies could be. It seemed like an inspired scene which created a feeling of the movie breaking the fourth wall so it could slyly wink at its audience in acknowledgement of its own flaws (as it turns out, the movie was doing any of that but was merely laying the foundation for a future twist). The scene could have been iconic if only it had appeared in a much better movie. Instead it ends up as bizarre and comically ironic critique of the entire movie. Why? Because collective sinners cannot pass judgement.

The Emmanuel Mang Eme directed ‘The Other Wife’ starring Zack Orji, Esther Audu, Uche Ebere, Stella Udeze and Ray Emodi tells the story of an unhappy marriage and family due to the obnoxious attitude of the wife and mother Nora which ultimately leads to a Reverse Parent Trap? I am unsure.

Initially the plot was essentially a series of conversation between Zac Orji and another actor referred to as “The Barrister” while they drank and made toasts (in fact the movie starts off with a positively jarring conversation between them about women in skimpy dresses). Then it became about a mysterious guest room. Then it became about a life altering event. It takes about an hour into the movie for them to first mention and insert the attractive other wife although it does pleasantly give a different take on the clichéd Nollywood plot of taking a new wife. Credit has to be given though because the movie’s plot somehow delivers then audaciously, instantly casts aside the most ludicrous, hare-brained plot twist of the year. And while somehow none of this made for particularly interesting viewing, it was all set to a pretty good score.

For multiple reasons; stilted dialogue, unnatural delivery etc. the performances of the movie’s cast wasn’t great although Uche Ebere was a near convincing domestic terrorist and Zac Orji is the definition of stoic and long suffering. Also Ray Emodi as the son was competent although Stella Udeze was less so. On a side note, the movie was largely set in a sadly familiar setting for the casual Nollywood viewer and although the rationale behind these decision seems clear (to quote Zac Orji and the barrister “more profit”), there has been a lot of complaints online about the recent trend of movies being set in the same place. So a public disclaimer, it would be advisable for studios to shake things up because (a) the repetition is a discredit to their movies and more importantly (b) to prevent a justified angry fan from burning down a certain A*** Estate.

Remember Fuji House of Commotion? I know, you haven’t thought about it in years but remember how funny Fuji House of Commotion was? The Other Wife isn’t really about the other wife as much as it is about creating the most convoluted way for a man who is married to an unpleasant woman to solve his problem. It had me longing for the clichéd and formulaic Nollywood stories about the trials of a polygamous home. It made me miss Fuji House of Commotion.

Please Note: That this movie is not to be confused with the similarly titled nollywood movie “The Other Wife” starring Bolanle Ninolowo and Bayray McNwizu that was released to cinemas in 2018.