Starring:  Dakore Akande, Joseph Benjamin, Marc Rhys, Tina Mba, Lydia Forson

Synopsis: 

A Nigerian woman weary of pressure to marry suddenly has two men to choose from – a black businessman and a white journalist. 

Review:

In a culture where marriage is expected, Isoken (Dakore Akande) was just fine with her single status at age thirty-four. It was thanks to her mother playing matchmaker that she met Osaze (Benjamin Joseph). 

Osaze was a dream – handsome, unmarried, and successful. They had instant chemistry and the two spent time together.  But then Isoken met Kevin (Marc Rhys), a white man that she was unexpectedly attracted to. Just as she was getting cozy with Kevin, Osaze, unaware of any competition, popped the question. Of course, tradition played a hand and Isoken went along with the engagement to Osaze. But her heart just wasn’t right…because it fluttered at the thought of Kevin. 

Let’s Talk. Oh where, oh where, would we be without romance? This is another movie about the time bomb we hope won’t explode before we find someone to marry. Lead character, Isoken, after a long dry spell, suddenly had two men to choose from. The easy decision would have been to choose the man of her race, but she based her decision on character – her own.

For too long, Isoken had to suffer through comments about not having a man and buckling to the pressure would have been the weak route to go. She had to get real with her feelings which ultimately led her down the right path. 

When spending time with Kevin, the two discovered they had things in common. He made her feel that she could be herself and he even appreciated her natural hair. With Osaze, he made her feel that she had to dress to impress. Whenever she saw him she wore makeup, a tight dress, and a wig to cover her natural locks.  

Do black women have to be flawless in order to attract black men? Or is this pressure that we’ve placed on ourselves? Is there some truth to white men appreciating black women more than black men do? There was some hinting at this. As a matter a fact, from what I can tell, the darker a woman’s complexion, the better, when it comes to white men. And that’s cool, but not everyone has adjusted to dating outside their race. For instance, the scene where Isoken announced to her family that Kevin was white was such a shocker. The silence in the room was indicative that interracial dating still has some way to go in terms of acceptance even though there are millions of interracial marriages throughout the world. 

The best conversation was when Isoken’s father advised her to make decisions based on her own happiness; not others. To get married just for appearances sake would be disingenuous.  I don’t know about you but I don’t do fake happy. Homie don’t play dat. We can’t live for other people; we can only live for God.

But the movie wasn’t totally about race. It’s an easy breezy romcom where a woman had to decide between tradition and true love. Honestly, the relationships were not deep; they just served story line purposes. There were other subplots and “girl talk” where the women kicked it about men. One woman mentioned that marriage isn’t a business but if you think about it, it is. Marriage legalizes relationships and for anyone who thinks marriage isn’t a business, try getting a divorce. It will become painfully clear when it’s all about assets, bank accounts, and custody arrangements. 

The cast was rounded out with respectable actors and the chemistry between Dakore and Joseph Benjamin had genuine spark. I’m not sure Marc Rhys was the best fit but I’m an advocate of diverse casting. The feel of the movie is one to talk about as it exuded such pride in the culture along with an attractive cast. 

“Isoken” raised a relevant topic about interracial dating but unfortunately, it didn’t tackle the challenges of it. The stares, misconceptions, and stereotypes would have made a more forward script. Hmm, now there’s some content for a sequel!  Also, the wedding at the end wasn’t Isoken’s!! Wasn’t the movie about her not being married? That said, this wasn’t the most thorough love story but it does score for reminding us to think outside the box. RECOMMEND