Story by Biodun Stephen (also starring as Mrs. Ekanem), screenplay by Omas Princess Benjamin, directed by Olubunmi Akingbola, produced by Olubunmi Dare and Executively produced by Biodun Stephen herself, this drama with a runtime of 2hours 10minutes is currently available for streaming on the latter’s YouTube channel with same name.

SYNOPSIS: (MAY contain spoilers)

Kunle (Michael Dappa) goes to pitch a brand management idea for Iniobong (Sophie Alakija) who has a skin care line. It is love at first sight. Or so it seemed. The duo would hit things off on their second meeting and before anyone could say ‘John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt’ they tied the nuptial knot. Little did Kunle know he had just successfully signed a contract for premium tears pro max.

MY TAKE:

What a fresh of breath air…erm sorry…what a breath of fresh air! Phew! First off, kudos to the writer of this piece. I’m super proud of the storytelling here. A step in the right direction I’d say! Loved the practicality of the ending which was different from the rampant Nollywood ‘happily ever afters!’

STORY/PLOT:

The story hinges on unresolved past traumas, gaslighting, guilt tripping, narcissism and manipulative tendencies resulting from horrific experiences of childhood. The movie highlighted how victims can easily become predators themselves as they turn out to be exactly like the very ones they resented. Iniobong had the proverbial daddy issues she was dealing with (something she vehemently refused to come to terms with).

She also appeared to suffer some mental health issues such as bipolar or personality disorder. Rather than seek help, she became narcissistic, manipulative, toxically rude, controlling and a gaslighter. Even when she had a good man (being too blinded by her own venôm to see it), she was rather hyper fixated on Kunle not being ‘objective.’

The story also portrays how people see red flags in a relationship, instead of taking to their heels, they ignore them and go ahead to commit until it starts to drown or choke them. Poor Kunle! After surviving a heartbreak, he didn’t need to have been treated that way! At some point, I felt like literally going into my screen to give him a hug or a cuddle just to comfort him (please don’t get this twisted). I honestly felt sorry for him. He was caring, soft and tender.

On the flip side of things however, I don’t feel sorry for him cos he was acting too naive for comfort. But isn’t that how life is these days? The soft ones get the hardest toughest craziest nutcases as spouses and vice versa! Put in the Nigerian local parlance, “life nó balance!”

The plot without any encumbrances is straightforward. Although it started somewhat coldly (boring as some may say), progressed in a similar manner, it however later picked up especially from the scenes when Iniobong went berserk and absolutely bonkers acting like a really crazy wife attacking Kunle’s female friend/colleague and later his male friends (played by Michael Ejoor & Charles Born)…let’s just say OUR WIFE HAS GONE MAD AGAIN!

DIRECTION/EXECUTION:

The first act was predictable as the movie took off with some cliches like the usual or common pitching approach and boy meets girl…boom..and they fall in love trope. However, the third act saved the day. The strength of the entire movie lies in the last 45 minutes or so of the movie.

The title of the movie is intriguing. Loved it. Liked the fact that Michael Dappa played a different role here from the usual “lover boy-found lover girl-and they lived happily ever after-the end” kind of stories. This took a brilliant turn. Dialogues are good and with cleverly catchy lines.

Loved how this did not incorporate the usual therapy sessions that many storytellers adopt. Not that it’s a bad idea. But the truth is not everyone who is struggling with navigating their many emotions or battling some mental health issues accept it enough to go seek help. This is true! Iniobong never accepted she had a problem. That…THAT is a problem in itself.

CASTING/PERFORMANCE:

The casting here is perfect. Love me some Michael & Sophie combo. It was delicious to see. They shared a beautiful onscreen chemistry. Those kisses…my my my! And the amplifying sounds…wawu…steaming intense! Loved it. They both delivered an impressively compelling performance.

Michael Ejoor & Charles shone brightly in their supporting roles as Kunle’s best friends. Oh but they got the embarrassment of their lives. Their role interpretation was equally believable.

LESSONS:

🚥 If you ignore red flags while dating, be prepared to live with what comes out of it. How you lay your bed is how you lie on it. It’s important to lay healthy foundations for marriages. Sadly, there isn’t a manual to marriage cos many persons pretend a lot. Nevertheless, Ini here was a walking red flag on a ginormous billboard.

🚥Damaged people damage people. Hurt people, hurt people. Traumas, if not intentionally checked or put at bay, becomes a vicious cycle that transcends generations.

🚥Be careful how you treat people so you don’t end up losing the good ones.

🚥No matter how much you are in love, do not lose your sense of reasoning. There were too many signals that Kunle failed to see. Or maybe he saw but chose to ignore.

🚥There’s no guarantee that when you wait a while after a heartbreak, you’ll find someone better. Life’s not black and white.

OBSERVATION/QUESTIONS:

1. Duration was unnecessarily long. The start wasn’t as catchy. This may initially serve as a turnoff for an impatient viewer so much so they could roll their eyes like “here we go again” cos of the cliches till the shocker hits much later (that is if they stick around long enough).

2. Given what we were shown, besides the marketing or promotional clip at the beginning of the film, the entire plot could easily fit into at least 30minutes less of the entire runtime.

3. I would have loved to see a visual representation of Iniobong’s past and how this traumatised her rather than the mere talks at the end of the movie. Was this for a limitation on actors or for lack of funds? Since the organisers could afford to go all that length on duration, the plot should have carried as much depth.

4. We are told that Kunle’s friends are married too. But not until it was mentioned, we never knew. Seeing at least one of their wives would have added more colours to the film. No?

5. Audio was poor. Lighting wasn’t very impressive either. The interior sometimes looked dark even when its day. And the intermittent displays while the movie was going on was often a distraction for a good viewing experience.

6. Was Iniobong truly pregnant or she just wanted to hold Kunle down with it? Given her body language & behaviour, I’m tempted to suspect a fowl play. I mean she was narcissistic, manipulative and controlling! I won’t be surprised if she really wasn’t pregnant. Her response when her aunt gave the suggestion of a legal document told me all I needed to know.

7. Mrs. Ekanem (Biodun Stephen) understands her Neice. I love the role she played and how she handled the situation. That felt so real.

8. The aspect ratio as per editing of the film isn’t impressive.

9. Now, let’s address the elephant in the room. In this day and age, is there any man that would pay off the balance of a house for a woman to the tune of 55million Naira when he himself doesn’t own a house for himself? Okay let’s say Kunle was blindly in love. His life’s savings and then he borrowed from friends and took loans…he was too smart to have made such a mistake. Why didn’t he use the money to buy a house of his own? Also, in her defence (not that I support her wickedness), Ini already had her name on the house documents when she made the 50% down payment towards the mortgage for the property. How then did Kunle expect his name to be on the Deed just like that? I believe it would take another process to make changes and add his name, right? Since Kunle is smart, why did he not file a lawsuit to get the money back? Again, he was just too soft. Ini said she was gonna pay back the money. Why didn’t she?

10. This movie subtly passed a narrative that people who barely keep friends are the problems. Not everyone who’s been traumatised or broken end up breaking others like Ini did. Some persons just naturally have bad and nasty attitudes, next, they blame it on traumas (not undermining the effect of traumas nonetheless). Perhaps, this should have been balanced out in the story.

CONCLUSION:

Despite some ish about the movie, it was absolutely interesting to watch and worth the while. Could have been a whole lot better to make for a master piece if more depth had been given to the plot. Nevertheless, though slow paced, it was suspenseful, relatable and compelling, as one is drawn into the characters especially Kunle’s. Viewers were also given a character they could pour their frustrations and häte on in the person of Ini. Weldone to the cast and crew of this project.

VERDICT: 5.5/10

Have you seen this? What did you think?