Title:DUMEBI THE DIRTY GIRL (1 & 2)

Sequel #1: Dumebi in School

Sequel #2: Dumebi & Bitter Leaf Cynthia

Starring: Mercy Johnson, Kenneth Okonkwo, Nuella Njubuigbo

Synopsis:  

An uneducated village girl travels to the city to find the father of her out-of-wedlock baby only to find him engaged to a sophisticated woman she can’t compete with.

Review:

Dumebi (Mercy Johnson) is an unkempt, unpolished, woman from the village. Frank (Kenneth Okonkwo) got her pregnant and left her to fend for herself while he carried on with his life in the city. He never denied the baby but he didn’t take responsibility either. Dumebi’s parents pressured Frank’s parents to get him to marry her but his parents didn’t budge and blamed Dumebi for the pregnancy.

One day Dumebi took a cab to the city to find Frank. The drama began when she forgot her baby in the taxi that she took there. While she combed the streets looking for her son, the cab driver went from house to house looking for her. Eventually he found the right house and the baby was returned safely.

Frank was glad to see Dumebi and their son and they resumed their relationship. Since Dumebi lacked grace and poise Frank attempted to get her to adapt to city life. He took her out for dinner but she only proved to be clumsy and rough around the edges. But Dumebi was good at sex and that was the core of their relationship until Frank’s successful girlfriend returned from the states after a two-month vacation.

Let’s Talk. In terms of the story it’s hard to swallow that a mother would forget a child in a car but it’s a common mishap, especially in the USA where babies have been unintentionally left in cars and died from heat exhaustion.

Also, when Dumebi arrived at Frank’s house and explained to his gateman that Frank got her pregnant, she should have remembered the baby at that point. It wasn’t until later on that she finally realized that she had forgotten her son in the taxi. We know Dumebi wasn’t bright but her love for her baby should have surfaced a lot sooner.

Ultimately, the story was a fairly simple one but hilarious. Although Frank actually enjoyed Dumebi she embarrassed him. She smelled, she had poor grammar, and she wasn’t savvy like his other girlfriend, Cynthia (Nuella Njubuigbo). Cynthia was a career woman and although Frank appreciated her intellect, their relationship was actually boring at times.

Ultimately, Cynthia was “for show” while Dumebi was Frank’s guilty pleasure. After too many disagreements between the two girlfriends Frank did some soul searching and picked one of them. 

The movie had tons of funny moments from Dumebi divulging her sex life to the gateman, to her dressing up in high heels, and also her “sweet mango” and “bitter leaf” references. Funny, funny.

As for the technical stuff, the dialogue had a sort of muffled sound to it and wasn’t clear in some scenes.  

In terms of acting, the supporting cast in the movie sufficed however, Mercy Johnson was the movie. She played the bush-league, village girl with all the emotional levels necessary and still made the character funny. She’s got to be the most versatile actress on the planet!

“Dumebi the Dirty Girl” is certainly an entertaining flick. If you’re having a bad day and your spirit needs a boost, this is the movie to watch. RECOMMEND

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