Starring: Frank Artus, Okawa Shaznay, Ken Erics

Synopsis:
A marriage between a successful couple heads into a tailspin when their exes reappear in their lives.

Review:
Melody (Okawa Shaznay) dug deep for tolerance when her husband’s ex-girlfriend reappeared in his life. David (Frank Artus) reassured her that she had nothing worry about because he and his ex were “just friends.” He disregarded Melody’s feelings and continued to see his ex-girlfriend on the sly.

And as though straight out of the karma book, Melody crossed paths with her own ex, Jessie (Ken Erics). He was recently released from prison and still carried a torch for her. He assumed they could resume their relationship and when she informed him that she was married he didn’t give a damn. He was crazy about her and his unruly nature almost cost her everything.

Let’s Talk. This is a movie that charts the things that can happen when exes are allowed to interfere in a marriage. These inappropriate relationships are marriage suicide even in movie land. There’s always an ulterior motive when an ex backtracks and the “holding onto the friendship” indicates a reluctance to move on.

The movie was off and running the moment Okawa and Ken Erics connected. Love, egos, and competition were carefully woven into the story as well as some violence. It reminded of me of the 2005 movie “Wild Dog.”  Actually, the storylines are almost identical because both featured an ex-con super obsessed with an ex-girlfriend. But we know this is how African movies roll – many are “recycled.” 

The story was engaging nonetheless but there were story issues. For instance, 1) Jessie (Ken Erics) was convicted of murder for killing a prostitute yet he only spent three years in prison. Huh?

2) Whenever the characters experienced physical altercations they appeared with gauze around their foreheads but their skin was as clear as day. Where was the make-up artist to create blemishes and fight scars?

3) There’s a scene where Melody was kidnapped. They were stopped on the road by officers and this created a chance for her to escape. But she didn’t. From a writing perspective this was a missed opportunity. Melody should have at least tried to escape to create further tension in the scene.

There were other hiccups in the story but let’s talk about the most irritating scene. David (Frank Artus) got a call from his ex-girlfriend asking him to escort her to the hospital. And he went! Any man that leaves his wife in the middle of the night to assist an ex-girlfriend should come back to meet the locks changed. Pack your shit. Don’t come the f*ck back!

Casting was on point and performances made an otherwise simple script work. At first, I wasn’t keen on Ken Erics playing Okawa’s boyfriend but his portrayal of the mentally challenged character shed all doubts.

Regardless of its flaws, “Crossed Path” is what you can expect from Director, Frank Rajah Arase – and that’s entertainment! If nothing else, it prompts the question of whether we should be with the one we love, or the one that loves us. RECOMMEND