Starring: Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha, Okey Uzoeshi, Jemima Osunde, Moyo Lawal

Synopsis:

A single mother living in poverty is given a chance at stardom when she meets a film director by chance at the market.

Review:

Life seemed to be spiraling out of control for Stella (Chioma Akpotha). Her husband of seventeen years left her for a younger woman and she lost her job, all while having a teenaged daughter to raise. Things were tight financially and she struggled to pay rent in a below standards apartment. 

Her daughter was her best friend and the two made the best of their situation. Stella just needed a job and it was hard for her to admit that she needed a man too. Little did she know she would meet Benson (Okey Uzoeshi), and he would be the key to both. 

Benson was a Nollywood movie director and when he saw Stella for the first time yelling at a cashier in a store, he thought she could channel her anger into an acting role. He offered her his card, which was followed by an audition, and Stella got the part. Her world opened up to a possible romance with a director but it was clouded by the pitfalls of the Nollywood industry. 

Let’s Talk. This movie seemed to be two tales in one – one fantasy and the other, reality. What was real was Stella’s life of poverty after the separation from her husband. The story became somewhat fantastical when she was “discovered” by a film director and then she miraculously won the lead role in a film. How likely is that? 

Art imitated life as the story exposed the drawbacks of the Nollywood movie industry and touched on the long hours, celebrity egos, and directors that take advantage of women. 

In one scene, Stella walked in on a director making the moves on an actress. She retorted, “Haven’t you made enough money to pay for prostitutes?” One would think so but with all the free and easy sex available in the industry, why would anyone bother to pay for it? 

Stella stated some directors give the industry a bad name but women who are party to the game should shoulder some of the blame. After all, it does take two to tango. 

A segment of the movie dealt with actresses that executive produce. I don’t know about you but I can tell right away when an actress is a producer of a movie. When you see an unskilled actress in a lead role remember this formula: New face + can’t act = she paid in some way to be in the movie. Either that or she’s somehow connected to the filmmaker. 

What I really admired was the mother/daughter relationship with Stella and her daughter played by Jemima Osunde. They were best friends at times and then there were moments when the daughter played the maternal role. Really cute. 

The romance. There really wasn’t enough of it as Stella fought Benson off for most of the movie. Things ended on a positive note but the movie could have used some passion. We needed to see a little more of Stella getting her groove back. (tee-hee). 

Performances? I don’t think anyone would argue that Chioma Akpotha elevated the movie. She has an understated aura about her yet she’s blazing within. I haven’t really cared for Okey Uzoeshi’s performances in the past but I believed his portrayal of the movie director. 

Video, audio, and direction were satisfactory although there was an instance where the music was too loud and I fought to hear dialogue. 

The question of the day becomes was this movie stellar? It wasn’t exactly out of this world but it did sustain my interest. RECOMMEND