Title: PASSION OF FATE (1 & 2)

AKA: STRIPPED

Starring: Ramsey Nouah, Joseph Benjamin, Beverly Naya, Daniel Lloyd

Synopsis:

A nightclub stripper consumed with emotional turmoil thought all was lost but there was unforeseen light at the end of the tunnel.

Trailer Courtesy of Afe Olumowe

Review:

Coco Simba (Joseph Benjamin) was an award-winning sprinter whose career came to a halt after a car accident. He was left crippled and spent his life wallowing in defeat. He blamed his sister, Soledad (Beverly Naya) for the accident because he got into his car that day, following an argument with her about his cheating girlfriend. 

Soledad devoted her life to taking care of Coco. With no living relatives, she worked as a stripper to make ends meet and to pay his medical expenses. Their relationship remained strained as Soledad suffered from guilt and Coco rejected all of her good intentions. Making matters worse was Soledad’s abusive relationship with her boyfriend.

Life called for a new environment so Coco and Soledad moved to Lagos for a fresh start. There, Soledad met Zak (Ramsey Nouah), a widower that was still mourning the death of his wife after ten years. He never remarried and he spent his life raising his young son but on nights of boredom, he frequented the bar where Soledad danced. 

Zak took a liking to Soledad and hired her to dance for him privately. They connected although he was significantly older than she was. Meanwhile, Coco found love with his nurse but his relationship with Soledad remained hostile. 

Problems resurfaced when Soledad’s lunatic ex-boyfriend found where she was living in Lagos while Coco faced losing his life if he didn’t come to terms with his demons. 

Let’s Talk. This movie is a testament of faith. It was comprised of characters that were at their wits end in life but they had no idea of the good that was just around the corner. 

Coco was a man that was wheelchair bound while Soledad allowed her emotions to dictate her life. In addition to financial stress, Soledad was raped and suffered constant physical abuse from her boyfriend. Both Coco and Soledad found love when they least expected it, which led to the healing of the relationship between them. 

This movie is also known as “Stripped” and it’s such a suitable title in that Coco was stripped of a career as a famous athlete while Soledad worked as a stripper at a nightclub. Ultimately, the main characters had to peel away the layers of pain that life dealt them in order to move forward. 

The story is best defined as a drama and there were humorous and touching moments throughout. Most notable were the scenes with Zak and his young son. The ten-year old boy was much wiser than his years and he gave his father advise on women which, was sooo cute. 

In terms of performances, Ramsey Nouah played an older gentleman. The make-up department gave him gray eyebrows and hair but for me he didn’t pull off being sixty. He just looks too good but he gave a classy performance. 

Beverly Naya in the role of Soledad was a good match. She played Joseph Benjamin’s sister and there’s a resemblance so they were believable as siblings. Also, her dance background worked for her as a stripper. I’m not so sure of her chemistry with Ramsey Nouah but I did believe her portrayal of the character. This was her best performance of all that I’ve seen her in thus far. 

As for technical issues, there were a few scenes where music superseded dialogue. There’s a scene where Zak beat up Soledad’s ex-boyfriend but the sound was not aligned correctly with the fight. Also, the transitions between scenes were choppy and abrupt and could have been smoother.

The car accident scene was obviously computer generated but hey, that’s the reality of budget constraints. 

“Passion of Fate” was provocative at times and bordered raunchy but the filmmakers knew where to draw the line and made the sexuality acceptable. There were some areas that were predictable but overall it’s worth a watch. RECOMMEND