kadiri_alex

I absolutely loved this series. Were my schedule not so busy, I'd have binged it in one sitting. I did manage to finish it in two though. Not sure what it was, but something about it felt magnetic, just kept pulling me in. Maybe it's the black cast, or their mostly Nigerian background, or the fact that the acting is good and the characters are relatable.

One issue I had with it though was they all happened to be from South London. Was that done merely for the sake of a plot advancement? Cause it felt contrived. You'd expect that they'd be scattered around the country and not just situated in one part of it. What are the odds, right? Other than this one flaw, I found it compelling and can't wait to see season 2.

So, I'm not a big fan of Nollywood movies (since most of them are overhyped nonsense or complete balderdash) and I rarely ever watch one unless it gets enough buzz to catch my attention. A few have recently, like Gangs of Lagos, Anikulapo etc. This one did too, after it won at the AMVCA. After seeing a few comments admitting it was much better than Tribe of Judah, I decided I was going to see it and judge for myself (especially since I absolutely DNFed TOJ for the simple fact that it was boring, overhyped, both poorly acted and overacted etc).

Now, from the first few scenes of this movie, I already could tell I liked it better than any Nigerian movie I'd ever seen. The picture quality was sharp. The plot seemed unique (compared to other Nollywood titles anyway). Some of the acting was impressive. And the general tone of the movie, together with the voice over-which although could've been better-was just something out of the usual. After only three or four scenes, by Nigerian standards, I knew I was watching something close to a Nigerian masterpiece.

Having said all of that, I must add that I in no way thought this movie perfect. There definitely were some cringe moments, some second-rate acting, and some directing issues. To begin with, I absolutely did not like the CGI. I mean, who even uses CGI for things like a barrel fire or burning a car or shooting a person? Everytime I saw a fire, it annoyed me. The CGI wound and blood from the headshot was laughable at best. The only more laughable thing than the CGI was the scene with the man being riddled with bullets from a fusillade. The man looked like a dancing puppet the whole time, flapping his flaccid wrists and fingers like that.

As for the acting, I must say I believe we can do better. Some of it was stilted, even from the leads e.g scene where Timi walks in on Elijah and the projector and (very awkwardly) wastes no time breaking down in tears even after nearly 50yrs of mourning. Only one that seemed faultless was the girl's character and maybe her father's.

Also, as a writer, I just couldn't bring myself to accept some of the dialogue, especially in the scene where Elijah and his woman have their big fight. It just didn't flow and was nowhere near seamless. Someone with less savvy might point to the actors but I can always tell when the fault is from the writing. The dialogue just wasn't fluid. The individual parts didn't connect and it made everything feel both forced and disjointed.

Overall, while I thought this movie was great (again, by Nigerian standards), while I did come away reasonably entertained, I must say there definitely is plenty room for improvement.

Even though I'm about six years late, I just had to leave my hot take, especially since some people seem to think this movie is bad. First off, this is the kind of movie that I enjoy (especially as a writer of fiction myself). The plot is nonlinear and broken into individual chapters that come together to make WHOLE lot of sense. In the beginning, you're unsure where it's headed or who the lead character is but soon you understand why. You think one thing is happening but it's something else. You see different generations of people who are all interconnected. Overall, this movie is like piecing back a broken glass so perfectly there are no signs of the crack.