Let’s Take a Look at Nollywood Film Club’s Best-Rated Film: Mildred Okwo’s ‘The Meeting’

February was a month of highs, lows and nostalgia for Nollywood Film Club members. The hosts, namely Iroko Critic of Twitter (and hopefully, YouTube once again), opted to flow with the season by polling a range of older romantic titles over Prime Video’s releases. 

After a less than enjoyable opener with Orisa, Odunlade Adekola’s indigenous epic that several speakers struggled to complete, the rest of the month was an attempt at a turnaround with romance-filled films: The Meeting, a current NFC high; Shirley Frimpong-Manso’s Potato Potahto, only passable because of Ukeje’s and Dumas’ charisma; and Kunle Afolayan’s Phone Swap, which most speakers agree is still a decent watch today.

Kehinde Bankole’s Worst Performance is Adire, and Other Things You Might Not Agree With From Nollywood Film Club in January

Let’s recap the NFC record-holder The Meeting, Mildred Okwo’s 2012 film streaming on YouTube.

1. “That’s controlling chaos,” says Chinweike. Yes, he is referring to Rita Dominic’s much-lauded performance as Clara Ikemba. Several speakers agree that the character manages to be lovable despite being despicable and it took a total transformation from Dominic (with help from her makeup and director) to hit that note. 
2. With such a key role nailed, the entire film felt authentic, Nigerian and relatable for several speakers.
3. NFC regular Vanessa would like to see this version of Femi Jacobs more. She argues that he has been one note lately and she was very happy to have this version back on her screen.
4. Several speakers praised the general performance level in The Meeting. Even the minor roles with a few minutes of screentime in Clara’s chamber.
5. Particularly, Linda Ejiofor, playing Ejura the corper, performs well by hitting a child-like nature while still showing her adult side. And Uchenna mentions that the actress made up for her stiffness with her charm as the film progressed.
6. The Meeting is a romantic film. Uchenna believes the romance without Mr M and Ejura getting physical. With their chemistry and their conversations, the sparks still fly.
7. The Meeting is a relatable film for NollyGoodFellow, a non-Nigerian. The red tape and nepotism explored in the film are prevalent in developing countries, and this isn’t lost on him seeing this story take place in a different setting.
8. Oyinkan doesn’t mince her words, “it’s better than movies that are made nowadays.”
9. The Meeting has a well-written script, handled by Tunde Babalola, with funny characters and lines. Also, the conversations between Mr M and Ejura are natural. The film progressively reveals things about the characters.
10. The characters all come together to function well in the story. From main to supporting, they serve a purpose.
11. Cynthia goes deeper into an analytical level. The film’s title works well as a double meaning for the two crucial meetings of Mr M’s life in Abuja. (fun fact: the film had the working title of Five Days in Abuja, once revealed by the director on Twitter).
12. Mrs C is glad that The Meeting is careful enough to make the age gap romance work. For a film that explores an age-gap relationship, it could have become messy if not treated properly. She compares it to Fine Wine, another age-gap romance, where RMD’s character helps Ego Nwosu’s character with a job. On the other hand, the lack of some sort of reward for Ejura made the romance in The Meeting more natural and innocent. 
13. Mr C praises The Meeting for avoiding the room and parlour production level, as it boasts a more ambitious technical level.
14. Little things that make a difference: shouting in a club scene, and the writing of the female characters. Even Nse Ikpe-Etim has something to chew on as the film progresses.
15. On things that some speakers would have loved in the film: an ending at the graduation ceremony, showing more reasons Ejura is drawn to Mr M, more pace in the second act, fewer Clara Ikemba antics and more time with the potential couple which would have built a more convincing romance.
16. Rotimi wonders why Nigerianisms are missing in our new films today.
17. The romance didn’t work for some speakers. The relationship between the characters felt very platonic. Cynthia wished it was more.
18. The actors were conscious of the age gap in real life. Their kiss which should be a heart-melting moment is a “respectful” kiss, for example.
19. Despite some speakers praising the director’s work with some of the actors, Mr C loves the casting more than the performances. One could feel the lines that were delivered like lines rather than a conversation being had.
20. Vanessa argues that love isn’t realistic, especially not in movies. People can just like people for liking sake with not too many reasons to go with their likeness of someone. We should embrace it.
21. Did I already mention that The Meeting is nostalgic?

ICYMI: I am not sure what the previous record holder was, but here is an overview of last year’s ratings from Nollywood Film Club

My key lesson in February is taken from Orisa (the discussion not the film): Yoruba Nollywood needs to embrace serious story development before the epic formula gets stale. There is a lot to still mine in these worlds.

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