Directed by Tope Alake, this 2-cast thriller titled “WHITE & BLACK” is written and produced by Bukunmi Oluwasina (also starring as Temi). Rated 18 and with a runtime of 1hour 59minutes, the film is currently available for streaming on Prime Video on a rent or buy basis.

SYNOPSIS: (MAY contain spoilers)

Through rather complicated circumstances, Temi (Bukunmi Oluwasina) meets Vine (Daniel Craze) online. As their relationship blossoms over a period of time, Temi decides to travel to the UK to finally see the love of her life under the guise of going to study. There, things start to unfold.

MY TAKE:

Straight up, the story is a powerful one but the plot ruined everything as execution is poor and weak like an overripe plantain fried twice. The direction and sequencing is haphazard, unexciting and downright boring.

Story/Plot:

The movie takes off or starts on a promising note with the female lead soliloquising. But then after a few minutes in, the monologue sadly melts into an absolute bore scene after scene. The visuals whilst the monologue carries on doesn’t help matters much, frustratingly so.

The second act however appeared to have better prospects. Tried connecting the dots but was again left stranded as events in parts appear more and more discombobulating!

Performance:

I recognised Bukunmi as Kitan from Femi Adebayo Salami’s JAGUN JAGUN of 2023. Not very much impressed by her interpretation of role here as much as what she did in the Netflix epic drama.

Daniel Craze’s acting on the other hand somewhat saves the day. His first appearance looks a bit dodgy but as the film progresses, one could tell he’s a stage actor as his performance shone brightly.

Outcome/Impact:

Annoying how I rented this and didn’t have the much anticipated viewing experience or enjoyability. Frustrating how the sequencing played out. Absolutely tiring & disappointing how this takes you on a journey around many topics and leaves you right in the middle of nowhere.

What attracted me to watch this was the theme of ombrophobia (which is the extreme fear of rain). So, this was meant to be educational, right? Intrigued, I wanted to see how this unfolds in the film. But this DID NOT happen. If it did, it was not effectively portrayed. We see the female lead in the rain on two or three occasions but we don’t get drawn into her world for how much fear she has for rain and how she manages her anxiety around her phobia. See, this was not interpreted well in my opinion.

Technical Aspect:

The poster is catchy, phenomenal and artistic. In fact, I could interpret it to mean that Vine grew on Temi given their love story. The sound score was great. Oh the background music which was composed and performed by Bukunmi herself is outstandingly amazing. That was dope! I super loved it. The costuming and makeup is great too. There were clever lines too.

Observation/Questions:

1. Now for the one million and one topics talked about here (between the two casts), there were some I cringed at. The film sought to address way too many issues like fraud, racism, cancer/chemotherapy, loss/grief, mental illness occasioned by a cancer diagnosis, drug addiction, BDSM, celebrity struggles, money problems, etc all at once but failed to solidify or establish any! I wish the plot was kept simple and straightforward.

2. There were inconsistencies. Temi mentioned she was getting ready for her wedding and eventually left for the wedding. “I don’t want to be late for my big day” she said! But we never saw any wedding. The duo would later meet at a junction where they first met! Was that supposed to be the venue for the wedding? I see this just had to be a 2-cast film against all odds.

3. There seemed to have been a jump or skip here and there. Some scenes were not connecting. It was disjointed how or why Bukunmi shaved her hair. Supposedly to honour Vine who hadn’t even started shedding any hair at the time so it didn’t make sense. I know people do it to maybe raise funds, awareness or for cancer research purposes or to donate their shaved hairs to cancer patients and all. But for the hair Bukunmi shaved, what did she do with it? It wasn’t necessary in the film. If it was meant to make the movie emotional, it didn’t work for me.

4. The parts that tried to get to me was when Temi was in the middle of the field calling on God. But then the transitions and how it played out didn’t particularly tug at my heartstrings.

5. This film I understand has now garnered lots of nominations and I’m here wondering how so! For Daniel’s acting, yes, I couldn’t agree more (but not sure if he’s a nominee in any of the categories). The story is audacious (that I can agree). However, the plot and execution leaves little to be desired.

6. Which industry does this film fall into? A Nollywood film or a British drama? I ask this because of the title and some issues discussed here like the NHS, some staff attitude towards celebrities. Also, it was shot in Nigeria as well as in the UK. Well, let’s just say it’s a British-Nollywood drama then. Thanks Bukunmi.

7. Three days and the body didn’t decompose? Did I miss a thing? Did Temi continually shave off her hair throughout her pregnancy? Cos we understand that she did shave it way before the pregnancy started showing. Yet, we see her still bald at the end of her pregnancy.

8. Wait! Was it from the Garri business that Temi was able to save enough to travel abroad? Well, people make money from farming but this was another part of the film that was poorly developed.

Conclusion:

To be candid, I really wanted to enjoy this film and rate it high. I mean the enthusiasm with which I paid to rent it speaks volumes, right? Sadly, the movie didn’t do it for me! No offence to anyone, this is just me being honest.

Too many issues highlighted with none to connect with based on how they were interpreted here. This wasn’t captivating, engaging nor compelling. Well, it could be someone else’s best thing yet since toast bread but definitely not my cup of tea!

Verdict: 2/10 (and that’s because of the background music which I enjoyed).

Have you seen this? What did you think?