By Amarachukwu Iwuala
Screenwriter/Producer: Chioma PP Opara
Directors: Kabat Esosa Egbon, Kholisile Vuqi and Ike Nnaebue
Cast: Victor Olaotan, Denrele Edun, Kiki Omeili, Byran Okwara, Mofe Duncan, Vimbai Mutinhiri, Barbz Mnemo, Clayton (Luclay) Misoya, Uru Eke and Mary Lazarus
‘Finding Love’ is a portmanteau film, that is, a feature film made up of a number of short films with a common factor like theme or setting, binding the stories together. Not only are portmanteau films uncommon in Nollywood, ‘Finding Love‘ tells its story (or stories, if you like) in a way many a young people can relate with.
Denrele Edun, as himself, is an On-Air-Personality, who hosts a love show on radio. People send e-mails or tweets seeking solutions to their problems and on this episode of his programme, he tackles six different cases, which form the content of ‘Finding Love’.
How do you handle a ‘good’ friend, who goes behind you to sleep with your man and even becomes his live-in lover while you and your beau still have something going on? Is your boyfriend, ‘an always-busy business executive’, really married to his job or is he happily distracted? A lady finds herself, dating a celebrity who acts like he is the best thing to happen to women after the Beijing Conference. There are also the sugar daddy and the bisexual lover.
The dialogue in ‘Finding Love’ is witty. Denrele says he cannot date a celebrity apart from Beyoncé, in which case he will fling Jay Z over the third mainland bridge. Best wishes to him. He also tells one of the heart-broken ladies over the radio that he would like to date her, but can only go with her to see her father on Halloween, noting that it is the only way the man will accept him since his dressing is similar to Halloween costumes.
Betty (Omeili) calls her friend shortly after meeting Andrew to say that her new boyfriend looks exactly like 2face. Andrew, on setting eyes on Betty, tells her, ‘Shame on all the men who look at you and turn away.’
Visuals are effectively employed, and appropriate gestures and body language enhance the production value of the film.
Bryan Okwara plays his role admirably, showing himself as an actor with a lot of promise. Of course, this is certainly better than his performances in ‘Awakening’, ‘I’ll Take My Chances’, ‘True Citizens’ and even ‘Weekend Getaway’. The other cast members equally show great acting skills.
All through, Denrele is in his element. In the final analysis, he gives his panacea on bad relationships: three Cs – Choice, Chance and Change.
A few things do not work in ‘Finding Love‘. First, Andrew’s large salon is always without customers. How can that be? Initially, one thinks that the first time Betty comes, Andrew is just opening up. However, when she visits the salon again and meets Andrew’s colleague, there is still no activity going on in the place. Also, it is unthinkable that only one attendant is on duty in that salon at any point in time.
Again, the Caucasian and his wife (played by Uru Eke) get married in a church, but the wife is in a pink gown that would have been more suitable for a court wedding. Worse still, there is no indication at all that anyone witnesses the wedding. Can a priest join two people in matrimony without witnesses?
Luclay (Echezona) and Vimbai (Zara), both of Big Brother Africa fame, are cast as Igbo speaking natives; however, they cannot pronounce ‘Chineke’ and ‘Amadioha’ well, showing that their casting wasn’t well thought out.
The film’s poster comes across like that of a run-of-the-mill movie. More creativity should go into the design of advertisement materials, especially for quality films like ‘Finding Love’.
The film’s poster and opening credits say, A Film by Chioma PP. No, it’s a Kabat Esosa Egbon, Kholisile Vuqi and Ike Nnaebue film; but a Chioma PP production, though Chioma PP may be the sole owner of the film. By movie terminologies, it is a writer’s screenplay, a producer’s production and a director’s film.
Despite the little errors, one did not want this film to end as it was interesting and didactic without stifling the viewer. It is highly recommended.
