Title: THE ORIGIN (1 & 2)

Sequel: RETURN OF THE ORIGIN (1 & 2)

Synopsis: 

Two men fall in love with a village girl. One is a prince and the other a hunter. Everyone has an opinion regarding which man to choose. Is it about royalty, poverty, or where the heart lies?

Review:

“The Origin” tells the story of a Prince’s determination to win the heart of the woman he desires. He never dreamed his competition would be a poor hunter but the hunter serves as the roadblock to his wish. The subplot focuses on a woman whose past comes back to help her when she tries to reverse a misdeed.

Ogonwa (Queen Nwokoye) is a pretty woman from the Amaeze Village. Her mother has a troubled past which she doesn’t speak of. Ogonwa happens to be blessed with a beautiful voice and it’s her singing that Obinna (Francis Duru) hears in the woods that draws him to her.  Obinna is a hunter and at first, Ogonwa wants no part of him but when he helps her mother out of a financial bind she appreciates him. From then on, Ogonwa and Obinna were inseparable. 

Prince Odera (Yul Edochie) lives in the Umuoka Village and he’s in search of a wife. With a life of riches and servants, he’s arrogant and full of himself. On the night of the Maidens Dance in the Amaeze Village is when Prince Odera sees Ogonwa for the first time. He makes it his business to find out her status and when he learns that she’s single and not betrothed he is determined to make her his. There’s just one problem – she’s in love with Obinna.

Long story short, Ojiugo (Ebele Okaro Onyiuke), Ogonwa’s mother, insists that Ogonwa marry the prince. She wants wealth for her family and that’s something Obinna can’t provide. She visits an herbalist with the intentions of removing Obinna from Ogonwa’s life so that the prince is Ogonwa’s only choice. However, it’s Ogonwa who takes the bait and not Obinna and she falls ill. When her upset mother revisits the herbalist for help he informs her that there’s only thing that could reverse the charm –  the urine of twins.

Thirty years ago, twins were considered taboo in the village and they were killed at birth. Although the tradition was later abolished it contributed to the shortage of twins in the village. At first, Ojiugo appeared helpless but then the movie reveals that Ojiugo gave birth to twins when she was a young woman. At that time she refused to adhere to the cultural tradition and secretly made arrangements for her twins to live. She then fled the village and hasn’t seen the twins since birth but now she must find them in order to save Ogonwa.

Let’s Talk. What doesn’t ring true in the story is that Prince Odera would jump through hoops for Ogonwa, a woman he hardly knows. Even when she tells him that she doesn’t love him, he remains persistent. If there had been something between them that conjured up emotions then maybe his actions may have made sense. The only touching moment between them was when Ogonwa visited him after he was wounded and even then it wasn’t romantic. For Prince Odera to want to murder Obinna for a woman he’s never even kissed is overdramatic.

This movie is a traditional saga sprinkled with a little royalty. It seemed to have two tempos, one for the romantic story and one for the village battles and it seemed that there was always a fight lurking. Somehow the fight scenes were reminiscent of action hero brawls yet they were edgy enough to cause a relentless rush. The movie aims to engross the audience and does so successfully while evoking the antiquated hardship of village life. In the end Ujiugo’s past greets the present and brings about surprising revelations and the ultimate twist in the story.

Performances? Well done. Regardless of the minor faults in the story, the characters were authentic and captivating. They could not have cast a better person to play the hunter than Francis Duru. He delivered an understated, believable display of emotions. Another honorable mention is Sugar Chika Asoegwu who played Oby. Queen Nwokoye doesn’t disappoint and Yul Edochie fit his role like a glove. RECOMMEND

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