A CINEMATIC JOURNEY OF LOVE IN THE NOLLYWOOD INDUSTRY
Produced By: Bimbo Ademoye
Directed By: Great Val Edochie
Unexpected Places is a Nigerian film that throws us headfirst into a world of affection, tears, anger, and many other emotions with ravaging scenes and jaw-dropping coincidences. Directed by Great Val Edochie the film is a charming, heart-wrenching, exhilarating, bittersweet, unflinching, and suspenseful movie that captivates viewers by exploring the themes of love, romance, family, friendship, loss, ambition, etc.
Ademoye delivers a powerful, nuanced, and hilarious performance as Prosper, a struggling ambitious business owner and hopeless romantic living with her mother when her mother falls ill. She has to take up her mother's job working for an arrogant guy named Chris acted by Timini Egbuson. She is forced to pull up with all his shenanigans and rude behavior even though he is financially unstable currently.
The supporting characters include Debola, whose role is played by Charles Born. Debola is Chris’s best friend always around to advise and help him when he has a problem with his father Chief Madueke. Chief Madueke although he loves his son, he doesn’t express it the way others would. This is shown when he cuts off Chris’ allowance, it looks like he is being wicked. Also when he gives Chris a position as a junior-level staff in his company, slashing his pay, and confiscating his car among many others.
The best part of the portrayal of love in this movie is between Prosper and Chris starts with him being arrogant and condescending to him asking Prosper to pose to be his girlfriend in other to get his father’s favor as his father says his allowance and every other thing he owns would be reinstated only if he could come home with a decent woman he wants to marry. Prosper as a true businesswoman asks for 1 million rather than the 700 thousand he proposed to pay her. After they agreed, the only rule Chris made was “THERE IS NO FALLING IN LOVE”.
Quite funny because he fell so hard that he stopped picking girls and was even able to convince her mother that he loves her and wasn’t going to “useless her daughter”. Their love although really strong and beautiful, it is revealed that he has a terminal illness instead of going abroad for his treatment he decides to spend his last days with the love of his life and also reconcile with his father.
Great Val Edochie’s direction is visually stunning capturing the different shades of love and emotions filling the atmosphere beautifully. The screenplay by Jennifer Nkem-Eneanya is sharp and witty, balancing the elements of humor and heart, suspense and romance, and many more into a wonderful piece.
While “Unexpected Places” has some minor flaws in subplots being somewhat predictable it more than compensates with its emotional core, unique premise, and exceptional performances from Timi Egbuson and Bimbo Ademoye. This is a film that people interested in romance will love and that anyone with emotions of love will resonate with and fall in love with.
~Jonathan Jesudarasimi
Yorumlar