Starring: Daniel K. Daniel, Daniella Okeke, Mercy Macjoe

Synopsis:
A mentally disturbed woman with a short fuse for rejection incorporates herself into the lives of her neighbors, much to their dismay. 

Review:
Jane (Daniella Okeke) had abandonment issues from childhood. As an adult she had a ten-year, childless marriage that added to her anguish. Since her husband was routinely away on business, she was often left alone.

She sought friendship with her neighbor, Ken (Daniel K. Daniel) by making food for him. Even after he got married, she continued to bring food to his home. His wife didn’t like the idea of another woman cooking for her husband and it caused a rift in the marriage. But rejection was a problem for Jane and the question became how to get rid of her without sending her over the edge.

Let’s Talk. Flaws. We all have them. This movie focuses on a woman that had a personality imbalance. She was diagnosed with NPD – Narcissistic Personality Disorder and this seemed to be the topic at hand.

NPD is best described as an egotistical person who is immersed in self-importance and success and needs constant admiration. They’re normally self absorbed and inconsiderate of others but behind their superiority lies self-esteem issues.

Jane, the main character, possessed traits of both NPD and BPD – Borderline Personality Disorder. BPD has more to do with mood swings, feelings of abandonment, and impulsive behavior and Jane’s characteristics were more indicative of that condition. A classic case of a narcissistic person is a particular USA president and the Jane character in no way compares.

Regardless of the diagnosis, because it really doesn’t matter, the story itself was anemic. We have a woman that interfered in her neighbors’ lives which led to conflict and then the movie chimed a soppy “happily ever after” conclusion.

There’s a scene where Ken’s wife described Jane as uppity and someone her co-workers sought advice from. These qualities were not evident in Jane’s character. Filmmakers have to show us, not tell us, if they want the story to be believable.

Come to think of it, Ken was the one that was losing his mind. He beat his pregnant wife and it took him five years to tell her why he had chosen to appease Jane. He was too stupid to see that the solution was to accept Jane’s food and then throw it away to keep his wife happy. Why would he allow the situation to perpetuate for five years? That in and of itself was crazy.

Speaking of flaws, casting was in need of improvement in that Daniella Okeke and Mercy Macjoe, who played Ken’s wife, looked so much alike that it was spooky. I did double takes to make sure who was who. Acting overall sufficed.

Writer/Director, Dabby Chimere played the role of Annie and I must comment on what a pretty woman she is. I appreciate her attempts to bring issues to the table in her movies. Her goal here was to bring awareness to mental illness, which was accomplished, but obviously the story was constructed around a topic instead of a solid story layered with an issue. Big difference.

Flaws. Yes, we all have them. And evidently movies do too as this one required more research and missed the mark. EJECT