Title: MAKE A MOVE (1 & 2)

Starring: Ivie Okujaye, Helga Sosthenes, Enor Ekpenyong, Beverly Naya, Tina Mba

Synopsis:

A young girl uses her dream of becoming a dancer as a vehicle to escape poverty and an abusive stepfather.

Trailer Courtesy of Avizzle Productions

Review:

Osas (Ivie Okujaye) lived to dance. Her late father introduced her to the art and it became her dream. Ever since her father’s death she had been subjected to physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her mother’s husband. Her mother turned a blind eye to it and allowed her to be taken advantage of. 

Osas had been working part-time and was saving money to leave the life of chaos behind. Push came to shove when her stepfather stole her money and she had to point a gun at him to get it back. 

One day she was practicing dance moves in a classroom and Chuma (Enor Ekpenyong) walked in on her. He was her schoolmate and when he saw her dancing he was instantly impressed with her agility and spunk. He invited her to join his dance group but it wasn’t easy at first because she bumped heads with the lead dancer. 

Osas was later accepted into the dance group and Chuma offered her a place to stay and she and her younger sister, Escosa (Helga Sosthenes) moved in. Juggling a part-time job, schoolwork, a dance group, and a budding romance along with caring for her sister got to be overwhelming. She later found herself in another battle when her stepfather appeared at her home and attempted to rob little Escosa of her innocence.

Let’s Talk. “Make a Move” rocks the same rhythm as the Hollywood movies “Save the Last Dance” and “Honey.” These movies share a similar theme in that they feature a young girl with dreams, the love of dance, romance, and conflict in the background. 

As mentioned in the Movie Ratings page, filmmakers tend to put a new twist on old movies and that’s okay. Some movies are due to be revamped and brought up to snuff with today’s times. The problem with this movie is that some of it was blatantly copied. For example, there’s a scene where Osas was shown with deep welts on her back as a result of being beaten by her stepfather. This scene was straight out of Hollywood’s “Roots,” and “12 Years a Slave.” It’s not like she was tied naked to a tree and whipped so the scene was overkill and didn’t belong in this genre of movie. 

As far as filmmaking goes, there are themes that we’re going to keep seeing over and over again such as romance, infidelity, and even dance movies. But because these topics are not original it’s up to filmmakers to keep it fresh and interesting. I take it that the dancing was supposed to do the trick but it was just average grooving and was not that impressive. 

The plot delves into sexual abuse, which unfortunately is a reality. Statistics show that one in five girls are victims of sexual abuse and most cases go unreported. The abuse can lead to low self-esteem, pregnancy, and issues with sex. It seemed that the main character in the movie miraculously rose above the pitfalls of abuse. This is where the filmmakers missed an opportunity to add a relevant layer to the story. 

Here’s the upside. The characters in “Make a Move” are real people. Osas is a normal teen with stars in her eyes. Her mother can’t live without a man and her stepfather is a lowlife. The disturbing part of the story was watching a mother that placed her selfish needs above the welfare of her children.  

What’s commendable is that Ivie Okujaye made her dream a reality. She got to star in a movie and flexed her wings as a dancer. The storyline may have been common but the struggles of the family felt authentic. There was romance in the air for the main characters and although it wasn’t a full-blown affair, the flirtation with love was enough.

The performances were better than the screenplay. Ivie Okujaye did a decent job in her portrayal of Osas. I believe she has the potential to rise to the top given time and the right roles. Helga Sosthenes played the younger sister and she was so cute. Some children actors sound like they’re reading their lines (bless their hearts) but this little girl was just brimming with personality. Also onboard were Denrele Edun, TuFace Idibia, and Omawumi Megbele, who did cameos as talent judges. 

Despite the typical storyline, the movie does have an adequate level of drama. As cliché as it was, I was still entertained. This is the first movie that I watched in its entirety all week. I had to “eject” so many movies within the first ten minutes due to lack of substance, poor sound, or straight up boredom. 

“Make a Move” served its purpose and will likely be attractive to the “tween” market and to those interested in seeing an African version of the Hollywood movies mentioned above. It has its faults but it can fill the void on one of those uneventful nights when you’re chillin’ at home in your PJ’s. RECOMMEND