Title: SHADOWS OF PAIN (1 & 2)

Sequel: SURVIVING SOUL (1 & 2)

Starring: Bob Manuel Udowu, Chika Ike, Queen Nwokoye, Amaka Chinemeze

Synopsis:

The desire for an upscale lifestyle causes misplaced resentment when a woman bestows her frustrations on a young girl.

Review:

Patience and Udoka (Chika Ike & Bob Manuel) were doing well as a married couple until Patience convinced Udoka to invest his life savings into a business that appeared to be reaping millions for her friend. But the friend was nothing but a con artist that ran away with their money and left them poverty stricken. 

Life got rough and Patience developed a habit of borrowing money from her best friend, Angela (Queen Nwokoye). Angela realized that instead of using the money for business, Patience used the money to buy clothes and shoes. So upon the next request for a loan, Angela refused to lend Patience any more money. Patience didn’t take the refusal very well and resented Angela to the core. 

Three years later, things looked up for Patience and Udoka but then life spiraled out of control for Angela. She not only lost her business, but she was involved in a car crash that left her blind and her husband dead. Angela relocated to the village to live with her mother and Udoka was kind enough to take in her young daughter, Mmesoma (Chinemeze Amaka).  

Udoka offered to pay for Mmesoma’s education but Patience resented the fact that Udoka never asked her permission to have Mmesoma live with them. She smiled and played along and pretended she had Mmesoma enrolled in a quality school but instead she physically abused her and used her as a housemaid.

But every crime has its punishment and it was just a matter of time before Patience paid the price for her cruelty. 

Let’s Talk. This is a story of a wicked woman that abused a young girl. She couldn’t let go of the day her best friend refused to lend her money so she took out her resentment on the woman’s daughter. 

The core of the story centered on child abuse. The young girl washed clothes, cleaned the house, sold water on the street, and was beaten. She was deprived of the education that girls her age are supposed to receive. 

The movie reflected how life could change at the drop of a dime. The main characters experienced both financial highs and unexpected lows. The story also displayed how tenuous friendships can be between women. 

Patience, played by Chika Ike, was entertaining to watch but the problem with her character was that she lacked redeeming qualities and never showed remorse. The fact that her husband was ignorant to her actions was a bit unbelievable especially because he caught her telling lies on more than one occasion. 

Four parts for this movie was overkill. The story structure needed condensing as it took two parts just to set up the story. The sequel was where the movie accelerated but honestly this movie could have ended at least an hour earlier. 

There were a few overextended scenes that were irritating. For instance, we had to watch Mmesoma sweep the floor for over three minutes! Why was this necessary for the audience to watch? What a waste of screen time. 

Also ridiculous was the funeral scene. Angela was blind and her friends waited until the day of the funeral to tell her that her husband passed. How do you tell someone that his or her spouse is dead at the funeral? C’mon…sigh… 

Performances were good. Chike Ike excelled as the evil stepmother but it was Amaka Chinemeze that touched the heart. 

Sound was decent, however, picture quality was at times choppy and problematic. 

Overall this is one of those African tales that we love to watch so if you’re up for a four-part movie, give this one a whirl. RECOMMEND