Title: FINDING MERCY  (1 & 2)

Starring:  Rita Dominic, Blossom Chukujekwu, Uti Nwachuku, Desmond Eilliott, Tamara Etiemo

Synopsis:

Two unemployed friends team up to burglarize the home of a wealthy businessman. One winds up with a bag of loot and the other with a brand new…baby.

Review:

“Finding Mercy” didn’t waste time getting to the heart of the story. It opened up to a scene where Jato and Rogers (Blossom Chukujekwu and Uti Nwachuku) were inside a home that they were getting ready to rob. They thought they were alone until the light flicked on and an obviously pregnant woman appeared in the living room.

Long story short, the woman went into labor and Jato drove her to the hospital and this is where the story went wayward. Jato actually waited in the waiting area for the woman to give birth. What robber on earth would do that?

It’s good that Jato had enough of a conscience to drop the woman off at the hospital but for him to sit in the waiting area like an expectant father just wasn’t fathomable. The story became even more improbable when the woman died during childbirth and Jato took the newborn baby home with him to live.

Now let’s break this down for a moment. Jato is unemployed and most likely broke and that’s why he’s involved in an armed robbery. Why on earth would he take on the responsibility of raising a child that wasn’t his and was in no way connected to? He didn’t even know the mother. If Jato’s heart was that generous then it was uncharacteristic for him to be a criminal. Based on what we later learned about this character, it seemed that he would have refused to partake in a break-in. Maybe if he were a woman then his actions concerning the baby would have worked. 

Speaking of the robbery scene, the robbers didn’t even wear masks. Talk about amateur thieves. The remainder of the movie was actually pretty good once this phase of the story settled. 

About ten years passed and Jato was gainfully employed and has raised the baby into a well-mannered, little girl and named her Mercy. Rogers was released from prison and the two resumed their friendship until they found themselves competing for Kassy’s attention.

Kassy (Rita Dominic) was a woman that worked at the same firm as Jato and it’s thanks to her that matters concerning the stolen baby came to light. 

Other plots in “Finding Mercy” focused on the sexual tension between Kassy and Jato and Kassy’s difficulty in letting her guard down. There’s office drama where Kassy hired an assistant who didn’t lift a finger to help anyone but Jato. There was also the stale marriage between Daniel and Rita (Desmond Elliott and Chioma Chukwuka) and lastly, the friendship between Jato and Rogers that deteriorated due to rivalry.

Let’s Talk. The movie is called “Finding Mercy” but with all the additional layers to the story it wasn’t apparent that anyone was even looking for Mercy. The Mercy character basically became a backdrop in the movie when more father/daughter bonding scenes were needed.

As for other comments, it’s not clear why Rogers spent time in prison and Jato didn’t. Also, where was the pregnant woman’s family and why weren’t they looking for Mercy as well? Someone in her family had to have been expecting a new niece, nephew, cousin, or grandchild.

The direction and performances in the movie were better than the script and this is where the strength of the story was. The casting of Blossom Chukujekwu is the number one thing that the filmmakers got right. He delivered a powerful performance and basically carried the movie. 

As for other cast members, Rita Dominic was amazing and Tamara Etiemo was simply dynamic.  One other mention is Yoko-Ono Manowe who was hilarious as the ditsy assistant.

To reiterate, the dynamics surrounding the baby didn’t quite ring true for me but when you subtract this aspect of the story “Finding Mercy” was left with a mix of romance, guilt, and pain that was softened with humor. The characters were relatable and they definitely struck a chord that kept the audience entertained.

Ultimately, it’s the compassion and mercy that emanated for the child that gave the story its “happily ever after” ending. RECOMMEND

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