Starring: Tope Tedela, Linda Ejiofor, Daniel K. Daniel, Adesua Etomi

Synopsis:

A wounded soldier that was presumed dead, returned from the military to meet his life in a shambles. 

Review:
Egan (Tope Tedela) had been married for a mere week when he was sent off for a military assignment in a town terrorized by a rebel camp. During the mayhem, he was wounded in an ambush alongside his fellow troops and left for dead.

Regina (Linda Ejiofor) and her friend, Angela (Zainab Balogun), both natives of the village, were scouting the area for valuables when they tripped over him. They realized he was still alive and Regina managed to get him to her home and took care of him. Egan was unconscious for some time and when he came to, he suffered amnesia.

Bossman (Daniel K. Daniel) was the head of the rebel group that tyrannized the town and he had been supplying Regina’s needs in exchange for her help in nursing his wounded troops. When he learned she was harboring a man considered to be the enemy, he threatened to harm her which, resulted in a violent feud between Bossman and Egan.

During Egan’s stay in Regina’s home, they developed feelings for each other but it came to a halt when he recalled his life and realized that he was a married man. Meanwhile, back home, his wife got word that he was dead and eventually carried on with her life.

Egan eventually returned home to find that the life he once knew no longer existed. He experienced a huge awakening at a betrayal that underhandedly governed the recent events of his life.

Let’s Talk. This is a drama that encompassed love and war. It followed Major Egan, who was dedicated to serving the nation, much to his wife’s dismay.

The story was different and oozed with potential but there were a few issues. First, there were events in the story that were too convenient such as Egan’s memory loss, his escape of death on numerous occasions, and the fact that later in the story, Regina was able to find him in Nigeria with perfect timing.

There was romance in the air for Egan and Regina but nothing happened – not even a kiss. Meanwhile, Egan’s wife, Lebari (played by Adesua Etomi) moved on with her life and by the time he returned to Nigeria, she was pregnant and engaged to someone else.

The circumstances in Lebari’s life during Egan’s absence was omitted from the story. If screen time was dedicated  to the notion of romance between Egan and Regina, then surely time should have been given to his wife. She got pregnant for someone else and was engaged to a man that she considered to be her “godfather.” How did this man maneuver himself from godfather to big daddy? Is that not a legit question and a story worth exploring? 

Watching change unfold in a character’s life engages the audience. And simply cutting to a scene where things evidently changed without visual transition is a mistake in some cases. It’s always better to show us, not tell us. Just one or two more scenes would have closed the gap in regard to Lebari’s life during Egan’s absence. 

The upside? The casting. Linda Ejiofor and Tope Tedela were perfect and they created some nice cinematic moments. And who knew Daniel K. Daniel could be such a monster? Loved it! These three leads were reason enough to watch. 

Sound. Here we go. More than one scene was shot in front of a stream/waterfall. Why? Subtitles had to be provided because thank God someone noticed the dialogue wasn’t clear. Yes, waterfalls are a nice backdrop but why sacrifice sound for it? As for video, there were a few scenes that were too dark.

Production design captured the essence of war but direction would have been improved with a more realistic story.

Honestly, I came away from this movie feeling a little cheated. The unexpected ending only provoked questions and it left a certain vacancy in terms of closure but I did enjoy the movie. It’s an escape from typical Nollywood and maybe more time at the writing stage would have remedied story issues. RECOMMEND