The Becoming of Obim

In Biodun Stephen’s The Becoming of Obim (TBOO), a thirteen year old Victoria gets closer to her mysterious neighbor, Muna, while she is dealing with her mother’s death and helping her gutted father recover emotionally as well. As the story moves on we realize that Muna is not just ‘Aunty Muna’ and there’s more to her than meets the eye.

Similarities have been drawn between the main concept in this film and that of a 2015 Blake Lively movie (that I will not name so as not to ruin this movie for you). However, even though the underlying concept is similar, both movies have different stories and should be taken as that. The Becoming of Obim is neither good nor bad simply because it shares an underlying thread with the aforementioned movie.

Instead there are certain things that are done well in TBOO and therefore make it stand out. The biggest thing to stand out is the characterization of Muna (Obim). As we watch, we get the chance to see and feel the character grow out of her shell into something a lot more. She starts off wearing her black dresses representing her dim outlook on life and as hope and joy increases in her life, so does the color in her outfit. Initially it’s just the white petals, and then it is the black outfit with the colored stripes and before you know it she is in full on colorful regalia. The development of the character in and of itself is also worthy of praise. Even though Ebenezer Eno (who plays Muna) is entirely guilty of overacting in her solo emotional scenes, but when it comes to composure or her interactions with her fellow characters, she aces it. We watch as her love for Victoria grows in her apartment, and at the same time the audience’s love for her grows through the screen.

Unfortunately same cannot be said for Muna’s relationship with Remi (Victoria’s father). We grant that there are only so many minutes available in a movie but it was quite discombobulating to watch the slow intensity of the relationship between Muna and Victoria as it built up in contrast to the sudden and thrown together relationship between Muna & Remi. I mean in one scene they are sitting on their respective doorsteps, soon enough they are sharing drinks on a balcony – no intentions spoken – and then all of a sudden we are cuddling on a couch? Is that how you used to do?

As the movie goes on, you come to realize that this is not the only problem the movie has with displaying elapsed time. One of the biggest suspects in this was the character of Victoria – and specifically her hairstyle. When we first meet Victoria, we are to assume that her mother has just recently passed on and she and her father are preparing to move to a new home. Victoria is sporting a cute twisted hairstyle. Many minutes later in the movie, we see Victoria preparing to leave for boarding house and she mentions that her mother has been gone for 2 years now but lo and behold, she has managed to keep the exact same hairstyle for two years? Abeg sis what is your secret? Having said that about Victoria’s hair, props must be given to the actor who plays the character herself – Oluwaferanmi Oladigbo. Feranmi is the daughter to Biodun Stephen in real life, but in this movie she is simply a beacon of light that inspires hope for the future generation of nollywood. She is no Jessica from “Little Angel” but even the actress that plays Jessica in said movie didn’t get there overnight and Feranmi is well on her way.

Biodun does a beautiful job of building in her movies. Building emotions, building characters or building intimacy. The biggest thing built in this movie was the character of Muna. Looking at it in parts, it was very simple and not at all that involved, but as a whole they somehow managed to convince us that this otherwise beautiful Ebenezer Eno was not just beautiful but actually ethereal. Watching her character here in this movie you are reminded of ‘Snow White’ – specifically the lines “who is the fairest of them all?” Well Obim is in fact, the fairest of them all (and we are not talking about complexion).

Regardless of what it does right though, TBOO is still a hard movie to get into. That beginning that was peppered with varying degrees of overacting plus too many scenes of crying, is quite hard to get into. It won’t be surprising if many don’t get to the enjoyable later parts of the movie simply because they couldn’t endure the dragged beginning. Finally, I wouldn’t be worth the air I breathe if I don’t mention the makeup in this movie. If there were departments that were disappointing as far as the crew of this movie, then the makeup department was a major hand-fall. From the makeup for Bisola Aiyeola’s aged look to the shabbily done white hair of the old man in the flashback sequence, the entire thing is quite suspect. The only makeup that made sense was the one that contributed towards making Muna appear ethereal, but even then we’re still left wondering why she has drawn her brows and attached her lashes just so that she can sit home in her mourning clothes and stare out the window.

P.S: if you want to have a conversation about the ending, then drop your theories in the comments because I’ve given up.