Water And Garri

Upon viewing the trailer for Water and Garri, there was no immediate desire to watch the movie. It conveyed an impression of potentially mediocre acting, which I was prepared to accept. However, the film presented problems beyond just subpar performances.

Water and Garri tells the story of Aisha (Played by Tiwa Savage), a fashion designer residing in the U.S., who is compelled to return to her homeland following the death of a family member, a decade after her departure.

The opening sequence is solid. An unknown man runs down streets before he’s abruptly shot dead. The way this is directed is very engaging and gives a false promise for what this movie will deliver because everything goes downhill from here. Aisha, also serving as the narrator, tells the audience that the shot man is responsible for her brother’s death, and right after this she goes to the U.S. A ten-year time jump is implemented and now Aisha is an established designer when she receives a call from her cousin (played by Jemima Osunde) that her cousin’s brother was killed. This prompts Aisha to return back to her native home, Eastside.

We might assume Aisha promptly packs her bags and rushes home to console her grieving cousin, but in actuality, it takes her three months. This in itself isn’t wrong as it suggests she needed time to sort out her affairs. But Aisha barely has profound moments with her cousin when she returns. Her return has no effect on her cousin, said cousin is also portrayed to have already moved on from her brother’s death. Aisha back in Eastside spends most of her time rekindling her relationship with a lover she left behind (played by Andrew Bunting).

Eastside is presented as a fictional place, and an explanation is offered at the beginning that this is a melting pot of cultures. However, as the story progresses, this portrayal seems like a lazy cop-out rather than a thoughtful narrative choice. There’s absolutely no reason for this mesh of cultures other than excusing the lack of focus the movie has. Eastside as a fictional place also tries to be grounded in realism but we can’t take this place seriously. It’s a ghetto settlement but everyone dresses colourfully. What we’re told about the place doesn’t match what we’re shown.

The setpieces used are too beautiful and a clear example is Aisha’s home. The outside is drab and uncharacteristic but right after the door, we’re transformed into a new world. The movie tries to explain this away by stating that Aisha had done a sprucing of the place, but even in flashbacks, the interior isn’t all that different. Water and Garri does this a lot, explaining things that’ll be perceived as flaws instead of outrightly doing the fitting thing. The approach given to the setpieces stakes the notion that we’re shown what the movie can do instead of what the movie should do.

The storytelling in Water and Garri is the most egregious element. At times it’s boring and unimaginative and other times it’s contradictory. The dialogues are outrightly distasteful. You could get a scene that’s proceeding well only for an ill-fitting dialogue to be inputted. A clear example is other characters constantly telling Aisha that present-day Eastside isn’t what she left behind. But isn’t this the same town she left after her brother was killed? Aisha’s character also seems to have undergone a memory wipe because how can we be told that she lost her brother to the violent rot of Eastside but she’s shocked when she gets catcalled when she returns?

The performances in Water and Garri are also forgettable. There’s no performer here that can be lauded; they come in front of the cameras, deliver their lines, and call it a day. This can’t be helped seeing how they’re all playing one-dimensional characters, there’s really nothing they can do to elevate their performances. With little depth or complexity to work with, we’re left following characters from scene to scene without truly understanding who they are or feeling invested in their journey.

With all that has been stated previously, it may seem contradictory, but the cinematography in this movie is the strongest element. While not always in perfect alignment with the story, everything is striking and stunning to see. The visual world depicted is one that begs to be explored within a more compelling storyline. The camera angles used are just brilliant, and frankly one of the best cases of videography in a Nollywood production, complemented by clean and seamless editing.

In addition to the Cinematography, the soundtrack is also a standout feature. It’s clear that Tiwa Savage invested considerable care in crafting it and making sure to complement the movie’s atmosphere, and my only complaint will be that sometimes the best parts of the songs aren’t what is featured.

In the end, how does the movie’s title tie in with the movie itself? There’s an explanation given in a scene but even that feels forced and shoehorned in. Is the message that love makes life sweet, or that it sweetens life’s hardships? By the time the ending montage comes in you have to question what Water and Garri is really about. Aisha gives a message in her narration and even though this message on its own is profound, trying to reconcile it with what the movie showed will prove futile.

With how amazing the soundtrack of Water and Garri is, it’s not far-fetched to think that it was conceived first before a movie was thought of as an accompaniment. The direction and overall look of the movie feel like an extended music video or a poorly made visual album. In a sense it calls to mind Jennifer Lopez‘s romantic musical film, This Is Me… Now: A Love Story. 

In conclusion, this movie prioritises style over substance. This Water and Garri desperately needs sugar, groundnut, and other jara to make it sweet.