Movie Review: The Grudge

CREW 

Story: Funmi Holder

Screenwriter: Taiwo Egunjobi

Production Manager: Toju Joe

Production Designer: Femi Dada

Score/Soundtrack: Ava Momoh

Producer: Funmi Holder

Executive Producer: Funmi Holder

Director: Yemi Morafa

CAST
Richard Mofe-Damijo
Funmi Holder
Iretiola Doyle
Odunlade Adekola
Ijeoma Aniebo
Jaiye Kuti

Production Studio: Eropreston Creative Ventures

Genre: Tragicomedy

Duration: 120 minutes 

Language: English and Pidgin English (Subtitled in English)

Date Released: 28th October, 2016

SYNOPSIS
The lives of two lovelorn couples from separate worlds, intersect and become entangled in series of unfortunate events fueled by a long-borne grudge.

           *                 *                 *

Kemi (Iretiola) and Tayo (RMD) are a couple having a hard time relating (in virtually every facet) with each other. The incident where their son goes missing…only helps to widen the cracks in their ailing relationship. Kemi’s widowed friend, who is also Tayo’s colleague in the office (Funmi) tries to wade in and help…but Kemi’s nonchalant attitude towards her marriage and her obsession with work, still persisted.

Chikaodi (Ijeoma) and Taju (Odunlade) are having a tumultuous relationship. And Taju’s ignorance and abusive tendencies doesn’t make things any easier for Chikaodi (who already has a child out of wedlock, for him).

Their relationship further degenerates, when Taju is offered a job as a driver by Tayo, on the same day that Kemi also offered Chikaodi a job as her house-help.

Taju loses the job almost as immediately as he got it, due to his loquacity. The envy and frustration which the job loss stimulates in Taju (towards Chikaodi), causes a huge rift in their relationship, as he began to suspect that she was having an affair with Tayo. 

Taju eventually manhandles Chikaodi to the point where she became hospitalized. At this point, things began to spiral out of hand…. 

[please, kindly go and see the movie for a complete Synopsis, thanks.] Lol! 

CRITIQUE

The Good
The plot was quite engaging. At a point I kept wondering how the movie was going to end, because I couldn’t guess what would happen next. The plot was that good and cohesive. Kudos to the story writer and screenwriter too. They both did a great job.

The Director and Cinematographer of this flick (apparently) experimented with a technique that I liked so much: the scenes of the contrasting worlds of both troubled couples, were intermittently juxtaposed. Once a scene shows the upscale world of Kemi and Tayo, as they deal with their issues, the immediate subsequent scene switches to the ghetto-esque world of Taju and Chikaodi, showing as they dealt with their own issues too.

The actors’ performances were very believable:

RMD was his quintessential onscreen self: the suave, level-headed, and thoughtful husband, oozing sex appeal. He always delivers. 

Iretiola Doyle clearly understands how the mind of a betrayed, troubled, and emotionally inhibited woman works. She played her role very well.

Funmi Holder played the victim of unrequited love, to the bone. Acting and producing at the same time, she still managed to pull the role off. She try wella, no be small. 

Odunlade Adekola was clearly in his elements. He was the comic-foil of this cool movie. And he did absolutely great! I would have said he was, to me, the best actor in this film; but someone so unlikely, beat him to it.

And that person is Ijeoma Aniebo. Ijeoma played her role as an abused housewife, a caring mother and a hustling woman, with so much grace, that I could literally empathize with her character, Chikaodi in every scene she appeared. She was that real! I see her getting more big screen jobs after this. 

Jaiye Kuti didn’t have much to do in this film, but still did her bit very well, as an aloof and sophisticated aunt.

What more can I say: kudos to all the actors!

The Bad
At some point, the picture quality of the movie dimmed and became slightly foggy for a while. I want guess it had to do with screen resolution issues; apparently due to the format on which the film was shot. The Big Screen Issue, is what I’ll call it.

For a better part of the beginning of the film, there was no accompanying score or even a soundtrack. Though this was fixed much later in the movie. However, this omission dulled the vibe that each of the affected scenes were supposed to portray.

The dialogue pacing was too stretched. I could literally feel myself praying that the dialogues could go on a little bit faster. I want to blame this on the Screenwriter, who obviously inserted too many “beats” in the dialogues.

The Ugly
The frame on-screen was literally shaky for a better part of the film. The Cinematographer would take the fall for this one.

In all, the great thing about The Grudge is its captivating storyline. And isn’t that what makes a great film? 

Yes there were technical hitches, but I must say I enjoyed myself, seeing this movie. I left the cinema with that bitter-sweet feeling that a Tragicomedy was supposed to leave you with: "sober yet satisfied". 

I haven’t felt like that in a while, as most of the movies I have gone to see in recent times, were mainly the feel good movies. But this one stirred in me, (with nostalgia) the kind of feeling that vintage Nollywood Tragicomedy movies such as Teco Benson's "Stupid" drew from me...though, this time with an urbane feel to it. 

I rate this movie 3.5 out of 5 stars. And I recommend that you guys go see it. Bless ✌!