We experience films differently. The idea of film itself is to trigger a different interpretation from another viewer. This is caused by our various personal lenses (sociological and cultural). That is not to say some fixed elements of film can not be subjectively judged.
Interestingly, the Nollywood Film Club, a weekly Twitter Spaces hosted by Iroko Critic, is not about absolute interpretations. There is room for varying opinions. The microphone is open to any Nollywood watcher who has a perspective or more to share about the film of the week.
In January, the club discussed Adire, the 2023 dramedy starring Kehinde Bankole; A Weekend to Forget, a murder mystery by Inkblot Production; and Dinner, Jay Franklyn Jituboh’s debut originally released in 2016.
Here are the boldest talking points from January that you are most likely to have an opposing view about:
- Several speakers note that despite not being a bad performance from Kehinde Bankole in Adire, the titular outing remains her weakest so far. That’s quite a standard the actress has set.
- A speaker, Mo, argues that the use of bible verses in Adire is better than Breath of Life, another recent religious-inclined film that was released last year.
- The collage of the characters is beautiful to see, most especially, in their differences. The way they are used to explore the film’s thematic message works.
- Why the name Adire? We could have used a story of how she came about that name as she began a new life. Since there’s a lot tied to Adire culturally, why did she go with this material and name? WaynesRants quips that she chose Adire because that’s the title of the film.
- Some further questions that Adire fails to answer: Adire’s sudden relationship with the pastor’s daughter, their conversation, and the business model of Adire’s clothing.
- A speaker argues that Adire misses the romantic mark and that showing romance on screen can be done better.
- Uchenna, like some other speakers, usually loves Uche Montana who he refers to as one of the best working actors in Nollywood today, but she doesn’t deliver in A Weekend to Forget.
- Chinweike praises the blockings in A Weekend to Forget and noticed some slight nods to classic cinema.
- Vanessa suggests that Elozonam could have played the reformed convict that Neo plays. While several speakers would have left Neo out of the film if they had a foot in the casting room.
- A speaker notes that the directorial debut ticks off familiar murder mystery elements but the question of how well it executes them is another thing.
- Did the former pornstar Jayrocka, played by Stan Nze, really not have many reasons to worry, as several speakers claim?
- Mr C explains that Ini Dima’s early scene in Jay Franklyn’s Dinner is used to show the insecurity within Deyemi’s character. Does anyone really buy that? Execution is questionable.
- There is a strong debate about the misogyny of Dinner. You should listen to this insightful episode that questions whether the film’s misogyny is cultural, merely within the characters or intentful by the author. An entire piece can be written on this. Every speaker came with their perspectives and thoughts.
- Vanessa argues that Dinner is one of the many barrages of the success of Biodun Stephen-produced The Visit (2015).
- Mr C suggests that Dinner should have been a short film.
- Mr C once again suggests that Jay Franklyn should direct a Biodun Stephen script. She brings the emotions, and he brings the eye for cinematic techniques. He would love to see such a film.
And almost everyone will find themselves nodding in affirmation to these claims:
- Lizzy Jay has a great outing in Adire. Her adlibs and comic effect character really work, not in a way that is insulting but genuinely fits this world.
- Yvonne Jegede’s good shift in Adire makes multiple speakers beg Nollywood to see her in more films.
- Many times in Nollywood, according to the Nolly Good Fellow, he struggles to find what a Nollywood film is trying to say. But with Adire one sees that the film has a lot to say; how well it is executed is another question because some speakers notice the didacticism in many lines where you realise that the writer has a lot to say about certain issues. Nonetheless, as mentioned by multiple speakers, the filmmakers succeeded in finding the communal and religious aspects of the film.
- The exposition in Adire is done well in certain points. An example is when the pastor’s wife reacts angrily and opens up about her pain of not being a pastor and how her father passed her over. Another time is when Yvonne Jegede reminds the pastor’s wife that they grew up together but life happened and set them on different paths.
- A Weekend To Forget is packed with attractive people, which several speakers acknowledge.
- A Weekend To Forget as a murder mystery was a positive departure from the repeated genre of films we mostly get from Nollywood.
- Vanessa notes that Akin Lewis, “Nollywood’s resident badly behaved chief”, delivers once again.
- Once again, Nollywood needs to trust their actors to deliver the mood that a scene demands rather than trying to forcefully find a shortcut to reach us emotionally with certain sounds or music. As a matter of fact, the constant Ojapiano took Vanessa out of this murder mystery world.
- Mealdred wishes A Weekend to Forget was shot outside town. The characters were all excited to go away for a reunion, but we ended up in a claustrophobic location where all they mostly had to do was swim. The writing called for more activities and a better location. The limitations of the location to swimming and drinking don’t help the actors to be bigger with their characters.
- The film lacks emotions. We need characters acting like humans and not just there to move the plot forward.
- Uchenna understands how the industry needs to create more to get bigger. At the same time, the more bad stuff that people put out weakens the industry.
- Merry Men 1-3 slander left and right despite not being in the discussion. OMG!
- Mr C returns with his sage-like advice: Don’t think too much about it and don’t pay too much attention.
- Mr C saw a lot of good filmmaking in Jay Franklyn’s Dinner. You find this in the film’s cinematography, blocking choices, etc. For a one location film that’s indoor, it could have fallen into a trap of being in the quality level of a room and parlor film. If he saw it in 2016, he’d keep an eye on the person’s career and be cautiously optimistic about it. We nod our head in affirmation because our review interestingly had this same thing to praise about the film.
- Several speakers agree that there was a lot of contrived drama in Dinner.
- Dinner, like The Origin: Madam Koi-Koi, could have used rewrites.
- Multiple speakers also mention that the women were written with no agency. They were just there to do what the men wanted to do. They were inconsequential to the events of the film.
- A lesson for Nollywood to pay attention to characters. Characters don’t have to fully fit the good girl or bad boy moulds. Dinner could’ve had stronger characters whose humanity we take seriously instead of types.
My takeaway lesson this month is mostly from Dinner. Director Jay Franklyn has two major projects we have seen so far that do not treat female characters well. He might need a female script supervisor or consultant if he is going to keep telling stories centred around women. From Dinner to Madam Koi-Koi, some pitfalls could have been avoided if a script supervisor with a keen eye for these issues had been called upon. And if he has been working with one already and still ending with these projects, then more care needs to be put into his writing of female characters. Also, Nollywood please write your characters as Uchenna has advised. And create a healthy environment for the actors to work and bring their characters to life.
These conversations and arguments are more fleshed-out in full episodes that you should listen to here.
Live Nollywood Film Club takes place every Sunday at 6pm (WAT) on Twitter.
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