Go out and get ‘Senseless’
By Ijeoma Ogwuegbu(ijogwuegbu@sunnewsonline.com)
Saturday, May 10, 2008

Hi, folks. How’s the week and the weekend been? As usual, I spent mine watching Nigerian movies, just to please you readers. Soon, I swear, you guys are going to have to start watching these movies yourselves and sending in the reviews. One poor young woman like me can only take so much punishment.

Luckily, the punishment was less severe this week as I watched one of the Project Nollywood movies, Senseless, which deals with domestic violence. Starring Bimbo Akintola, Femi Branch and Kanayo O. Kanayo and directed by Fidelis Duker, it tells the story of a couple played by Akintola and Branch who have a seemingly loving relationship that is however constantly punctuated by the husband’s bouts of violence towards his wife.

The movie starts with three or four very good scenes that made me want to continue watching, which is something rare for Nigerian movies. I loved the first few shots as I felt like the director of photography really thought about them before they were made.
After a strong start and like 25 minutes in, the movie began to taper off in many ways, from the shots, which became mundane and ordinary, to the story, which became a bit sloppy. This ebb and flow continued for a while, as the movie got in turns better and worse.

They ended up adding a few unnecessary scenes, like one where he went to a beer parlour, asked for malt and was practically hustled out by the attendant. The scene had no bearing on any before or after it and only left me scratching my head wondering what that was about. Maybe someone had gone to that beer parlour to drink and didn’t pay and promised the owner a scene in the movie. I couldn’t find any other plausible explanation.

Then there was the odd habit they had of adding a scene of the same roundabout and road in Lekki between every scene. I saw that roundabout so many times I wanted to scream.
I also had a few issues with the casting as I just couldn’t suspend belief long enough to accept KOK as Akintola’s father. KOK is old, but to be Bimbo’s father? He should have felt insulted and stormed off the set for that one alone. Plus, why did they make him always dress up in full chieftaincy regalia of red cap, chieftaincy beads and lion-head shirt, even when he was at home, relaxing? Nobody dresses like that, people. We got the point that he was a rich Igbo man, we didn’t need it constantly repeated to us like we were a couple of retarded children.

Also, they could have done a bit more research for the medical and legal parts of the story as the fact that they didn’t left gaping holes in some parts of the movie. A doctor who didn’t know how to medically describe a condition for authenticity. A lawyer and judge who kept saying, “Any more further cross-examination?” “No, my lord, no more further cross-examination.” This would not have been a big deal; except the lawyer was referring to questions she was asking her own client. Opposing counsels usually does cross-examinations. See, even me, a bloody journalist, knew that one.
All in all, it was a good movie with a good storyline, a number of well-shot scenes, but had a few thin parts in the middle. With the exception of a few people, the acting was okay.
Definitely a good movie to watch. I liked it, overall.

FEEDBACK

Ij,
Please help review the movie Yankee Girls. In my opinion, the title should have been Babalawo Girls. The movie was dry, senseless and meaningless even with the superstars in it.
Cheers
Yemisi

Ij,
I like your column of May 3rd. Please tell the Nollywood guys that we are no babies. Sometimes you see a cheap imitation of western movies, obviously out of their short-sightedness and the craving for quick bucks. They use their relatives even when their English is heavily accented, instead of graduates in theatre arts. Let them grow up.
Tyoban, Makurdi.

Ij,
You are doing a nice job, don’t let anyone tell you different. I don’t watch Nigerian movies any more because my medical doctor told me I could give myself hypertension if I don’t stop. I get amused when I see people buying Nigerian movies.
08052184642