Starring: Monalisa Chinda, Iretiola Doyle, Joseph Benjamin

Synopsis:

Two women claim to be married to the same man and trigger an investigation that uncovers the root of the mix-up.

Review:

Ovu (Iretiola Doyle) was outraged when she accused Nana (Monalisa Chinda) of stealing her husband. The two women grew up together and were best friends up until this point. Ovu actually attempted to kill Nana in that moment but luckily the crime was intercepted. The authorities detained Ovu and this is when she told her side of the story.

According to Ovu, she met Olumide (Benjamin Joseph) while in college. He was a photographer and he snapped a few pictures of her. When she later saw the photos she was impressed with him. This was their first connection and they were a couple from then on.  

Some time later, there was a time when Ovu (Iretiola Doyle) and Nana (Monalisa Chinda) lived together until Nana got a job in Abuja and relocated. Ovu then married Olumide and the marriage was successful until Olumide was also sent to Abuja on assignment. While in Abuja, Nana and Olumide hung out and one thing led to another… 

When Nana presented her version of the events, it was she that met Olumide in college and he snapped photos of her. According to her, it was Ovu who relocated to Abuja for a job, not her. The one fact that remained true in both cases was that Olumide was in Abuja for work. Therefore, Olumide was the key to the truth but would he tell the truth was another matter.

Let’s Talk.  Intrigue, intrigue, intrigue. “Torn” doesn’t waste time getting attention. From the first scene Ovu is out to murder Nana for taking her husband. While most movies spend a lot of time on set-up and then go in for the kill, this movie opens with a bang and sets up the story up as it goes along.

While the police detained Ovu, a psychotherapist was assigned to the case. As he collected facts about the two marriages so did we. Both women were in the same place at the same time and both had pictures of a wedding to Olumide.

In order for Ovu to avoid prison time the doctor sought to prove her insane. This way she would be assigned to a mental institution and not jail. With both women claiming to be Olumide’s wife, it was a challenge to get to the truth until the doctor interviewed Olumide.

Olumide was the key that unlocked the mystery. As he reprocessed his experience with both women he omitted certain details. The doctor was perceptive enough to see that he was lying and eventually got Olumide to admit the entire truth.

The story was well executed and started off with suspense that flowed through the entire movie which, made it engrossing. However, here are the two things that didn’t ring true. 1) There’s a scene where Olumide and Ovu had to prove they were married in order to obtain an apartment. Why did they have to show a wedding picture and not a marriage certificate? 2) I’m not so sure I believe that miraculous cure of mental illness at the end of the movie.

The drama concluded with subtitles that informed us of what became of the main characters. For those of you who are familiar with my reviews you know that I think of this as a cop out. I believe screenwriters should show us not tell us. An extra scene or two easily conveys what the screenwriter wants the audience to know. Subtitles like this makes a movie feel like a fairytale. “And so and so moved to Paris and lived happily ever after…” It gives that sort of vibe and that doesn’t work with thriller/suspense movies.

Performances? Fantastic. The casting was crucial to making the story work and it was believable that either of the women could have been married to Joseph Benjamin’s character.

“Torn” is not a typical infidelity movie in that it touches on mental illness. If you’re looking for a movie that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat, this is a fine choice. RECOMMEND

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