Void

Watching this movie had me wondering one major thing: at what point does the mumu transcend from love to straight up foolishness?

Void is the story of a heartbroken widower (Frederick Leonard as ‘Tonna’) who has met a new woman (Lota Chukwu as ‘Tina’) but struggles to let go of the memory of his late wife (Chioma Akpotha as ‘Mirabel’). Before she passed, he promised her that he would continue her legacy by using her eggs that she left behind, and now he and his new wife are on the journey of fulfilling that promise.

The writer, Ariole, exerts full artistic license within the story itself so we don’t get to ask the questions that might first pop up to any reasonable mind. Questions like, why doesn’t Tonna just hire a surrogate and have the child before meeting Tina? Exactly what degree of love stupor would drag Tina into agreeing to a marriage under these conditions? In fact, what degree of general stupor will even lead her to agree to live in his home as it is with each corner saturated with photos of his late wife? However, these are all the things that build on to the originality of the predicament in Void so we must allow it. The story really is one about the journey of one man’s grief as he looses who he believes to be the only love of his life to the cruel hands of cancer, and he is now faced with the difficult task of readjusting to life after she’s gone. One can actually consider this film as a long public service announcement for the importance of mental health and realizing the need to seek help. Because objectively speaking Tonna seems functioning on the surface but. in actual fact, he really never got over the loss of his wife – at least not enough to be marrying someone else.

A story like this that relies so heavily on emotions and how these emotions lead people’s actions require actors with an unquestionable ability to portray this. In the scenes where Tonna and Mirabel are having difficult yet intimate scenes, it is easier to believe everything that they are selling. However, when the tables are turned and it’s Tonna and Tina the whole thing falls apart. At that point it becomes Frederick forcing things and Lota seeming uncommitted. The truth is there is little to no chemistry between Lota and Fred and most of it is because Lota hasn’t yet bridged that gap from performing to convincing. Even in her pivotal break down scene where most actors generally take the opportunity to steal the light, she steal seems very one dimensional. Chioma Akpotha is like the class captain here, as she leads by example displaying a wealth of emotions without saying many words. And Empress Njamah in the supporting role brings enough fire to spice up what could easily become a drag of a storyline.

SPOILERS BELOW

The structure of the story and the writing here is worth appreciating. Even though when broken down it’s simply an engagement, a marriage, a pregnancy, a miscarriage, a pregnancy, a miscarriage, and then again and again until someone gets fed up but still even though it does drag it never quite gets dreary. The cinematography and the music also play a pivotal part in helping the movie become all that it ends up becoming. In the end, most will be glad to just see those memorial looking photos on the wall taking down – p.s. dear costume department, I appreciated the little nod of Frederick wearing a shirt that says “break what must be broken” as he comes home to meet the pictures torn down.