Starring: Mike Ezuruonye, Clarion Chukwura, Okawa Shaznay

Synopsis:

A grieving woman takes an overdue vacation at the advice of her daughter and returns home a new woman only for her happiness to be short-lived. 

Review:

Rose (Clarion Chukwura) was still mourning the loss of her husband three years later. She lived life as though he was still alive and she had difficulty distinguishing the past from the present. She was a depressed but wealthy woman and behind closed doors she became intimately involved her husband’s best friend, Felix (Zack Orji). 

Her daughter, Guya (Okawa Shaznay) disapproved of their relationship because Felix was at odds with her father shortly before he died. Guya suspected Felix was involved with her father’s mysterious death and she took steps to have her father’s police case reopened. 

In the midst of Guya’s investigation, she encouraged her mother to take a much-needed vacation. She took the advice and landed at an upscale resort. Instead of a mental detox, Rose found herself gushing over a new guy, John (Mike Ezuruonye).

John was also a guest at the hotel and unbeknownst to Rose, he was the very guy that had been courting Guya and had even proposed marriage. Guya’s relationship with John went at a fast pace and she never got around to introducing him to her mother.   

Although Rose was old enough to be John’s mother, the two danced it up and had a fling. It turned out that John was quite a busy guy because in addition to his budding affair with Rose, and his engagement to her daughter, he was also very married with a wife in Lagos. 

Rose returned from vacation with a new lease on life. She found love in a younger man but had no idea that he was a philanderer with an agenda. The story climaxed when Rose planned a party to introduce John to her daughter and it resulted in the exposure of hidden motives. 

Let’s Talk. This movie displayed the vulnerable nature of women and was sidelined with greed and ulterior motives. It’s supposed to be based on a true story but some of the events were hard to believe. 

According to the writer, Guya (Okawa Shaznay) became engaged to John but she had never visited his home. Now the story did disclose that she was on tour for six months so most of their courtship may have taken place over the phone. But even when she returned she should have made it her business to know where her fiance lived. Didn’t she realize that she was engaged to a man and had never been to his place? Is this not a red flag in a relationship? She should have suspected that he was married. 

Another odd instance was the event where Rose planned to introduce John to her friends and family. Why would Felix, her ex-lover, be there? It seemed too convenient that Felix would be there to warn John that his wife was also at the party. 

There were other aspects of the story that were strange but I guess that’s why the filmmakers decided to create a movie from it. My opinion is that when screenplays are based on real life, sometimes aspects of the events may have to be fudged in order for it to be believed…unfortunately. 

Here’s where some fibbing would have made a better story. It was established that John was simultaneously involved with three women, right? Therefore, the climax of the story would become when he got busted. When it came time for John to face the music, he just walked away from the situation. No confrontation, no words, no drama. He just walked away. The only edge of your seat moment turned out to be flat! It’s here that the filmmakers should have twisted the truth a little and created the smoking scene that was expected. Talk about a missed opportunity… 

As for performances, Mike Ezuruonye and Clarion Chukwura were at it again as love interests. I love watching both of them work, together or separately. Okawa Shaznay seems to be the new “it” girl for Director, Frank Rajah Arase. She starred in the popular “Iyore” among others. 

Direction and video was adequate. The sound seemed to be reengineered but there was still spotty difficulty with hearing dialogue. 

At the end of the day this was just another story with marriages based on money where mother and daughter were sleeping with the same man. It’s made up of revamped storylines that didn’t offer enough spark. EJECT