Title: QUEEN OF HASSO ROCK (1-3)

Starring: Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Enebeli Elebuwa, Nora Nobert, Rich Oganihu, Vitalis Ndubuisu

Synopsis:

A woman with political ambitions finally hit rock bottom when she allowed her aspirations to lead her down the wrong path.

Review:

Maryann (Omotola Jalade Ekeinde) was determined to succeed in life and she had no problem sleeping her way to the top. Her tactics worked because she got the job as personal assistant to the vice president of Nigeria. He was a married man but that didn’t stop her from secretly disrobing for him.

When the vice president suddenly died of a heart attack, Maryann was unexpectedly unemployed. During her tenure with the VP, she had learned of confidential files that he kept tucked away. The files contained evidence of foul play amongst key senators. It turned out that these very senators all had an eye on becoming the next vice president…but Maryann had a different agenda. 

She had a lover by the name of Gambari (Rich Oganihu) and he was also married. She vowed to make him the next vice president if he agreed to share the glory with her. At first he doubted her ability to carry out the plan but she proved him wrong. 

Maryann used the criminal conduct of the key senators as a weapon against them. With each anonymous call to them, she referred to herself as “Queen.” She successfully eliminated all of the competition and Gambari became the next vice president. 

Once in power, Maryann pulled all sorts of strings. Manipulation and kickbacks from contracts were just the beginning. When the defeated senators realized that she was “Queen” and also the source behind their careers going up in smoke, they devised a plan to have her assassinated. 

But Maryann never lost sight of her motives. Her ultimate goal was to become the vice president’s wife but it’s the one thing Gambari refused to do – divorce his wife. Maryann wasn’t one to accept “no” for an answer and she devised a scheme to make her dream marriage come true not realizing that her days in power were numbered.  

Let’s Talk. This is a story of overzealous ambition. The main character, Maryann, was determined to make it to the very top and left no stone unturned along the way. She slept with whomever she deemed necessary and used influence and connections in her favor. 

Maryann played the game that men play but the story would have been more powerful if she didn’t sleep her way to the top. Her pretty face, education, and gift to gab, should have been enough to elevate her to the level she so desired.   

The story itself took us behind the scenes to witness true politics. The use of favors, corruption, and money, were constant manipulators. Of course, we know politicians aren’t saints. We’ve all heard of real life scandals surrounding government officials and the movie was a reflection of current events. 

What’s notable is that the movie ventured away from common African storylines and gave us characters that were alluring to watch. A woman single-handedly destroyed the careers of politicians and it was refreshingly inconsistent from the norm. The pacing of the movie was like boiling water. The story never simmered and only the end could cool it down. 

Performances? The movie was comprised of what’s called “real people” and that was a part of its authenticity. There was a cast of older actors and they proved that it’s not always about the young and pretty. 

Omotola Ekeinde played the lead and she was awesome. This was a dream role for any actress and Omotola took control of the part and displayed her multifaceted talent. 

“Queen of Hasso Rock” succeeded with an appetizing blend of politics and drama and it’s a vintage movie at its best. All hail the queen. RECOMMEND