Starring: Emem Udonquak, Uche Jombo, Monalisa Chinda, Kalu Ikeagwu

Synopsis:  

A woman of compassion takes in an abused housemaid but later regrets it when the maid’s evil agenda came to light.  

Review:

Itoro was an orphan that came highly recommended to the Udofia family as a housemaid. She was about fourteen years of age, shy, and didn’t speak English.

Shortly after Itoro was accepted into the family, the Udofias (Uche Jombo and Keppy Bassey) physically abused her. Elena (Monalisa Chinda), a neighbor, witnessed the abuse on numerous occasions and finally reported it to the authorities. As a result, Mr. and Mrs. Udofia were sent to prison and Itoro was transferred to a local orphanage. 

Elena genuinely cared for Itoro and paid her a visit. The facility had obvious deterioration and had declined over the years. When Elena witnessed the unhealthy living conditions that the children lived with, she felt the establishment wasn’t the answer and made arrangements to take Itoro home with her.

Elena’s husband was reluctant to the idea of Itoro living with them at first but he later came around. While Itoro resided with the family there were a number of strange occurrences. Elena’s files were mysteriously deleted from her computer; their car suddenly had mechanical difficulties, and even their little daughter, Lilly (Amada Chukwu) behaved strangely.

The final straw came when Itoro used a bowl that had sentimental value. It was a gift passed down from generations and no one was allowed to use it. Elena ordered Itoro to put the bowl back but she ignored the request and continued using it. 

Tony (Kalu Ikeagwu), Elena’s husband, was furious at the sight of Itoro using the bowl and when he attempted to strike her, the supernatural forces that she possessed instantly stopped him. She magically controlled his body while she yelled at him in English. It was a side of Itoro they had never seen before and the complete opposite of the quiet, reserved girl they had come to know.  

The revelation that Itoro was some sort of witch signaled the journey that Elena and Tony were about to embark on. In order to remove Itoro from their lives they had no choice but to consider murder.  

Let’s Talk. “Itoro” is a well-directed production that commands attention from the onset. It was hard to understand why anyone would be beating up a young girl but once the plot was revealed the movie came together very well.

The drama was robust with intrigue that captivated the human spirit as well as the heart. It ventured away from the common infidelity and royal family themes and offered suspense and a very important lesson – get the facts first and don’t assume.

Every scene and character successfully moved the story along. Even characters that appeared to be irrelevant turned out to be important. For instance, the guy that begged Elena for money served two purposes. 1) He turned out to be an angel in disguise and 2) he further defined Elena’s gracious character because while many would have refused to help a beggar, she reached into her purse. If Elena had chosen to be selfish that day she would have never received the important message that he delivered. 

One of my favorite scenes was when Elena visited Mrs. Udofia in prison. When Elena told her about the troublesome Itoro, Mrs. Udofia belted out the heartiest laugh, which made me laugh. It was a funny yet spooky moment. 

Performances? Great. Emem Udonquak was fantastic at playing the young Itoro. She portrayed the character in a way that made an audience care about her even when her evil side surfaced. She certainly held her own alongside the more seasoned professionals. Monalisa Chinda and Uche Jombo gave fine performances as well.

The final verdict? Two thumbs way up on this one. RECOMMEND

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