My verdict: 3.5 out of 5
2015 | Romantic Comedy | 4 parts | 256minutes 13secs | Watch here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWaWTVdPKUM
I know; the trailer is atrocious. BUT this movie was a cute story, and I loved it.
EMENGINI MY LOVE starts off as innocent on one end but then grows branches that threaten to destroy it. Yes, I know this is the second time I am covering a middle-aged love story. But Nollywood seems to have found a new angle of romantic-comedies that no longer lies in the hands of the younger folk.
Oh! as for Mazi Chiwetaluโs catchphrase, there wasnโt any in this movie because he was not a lead actor – he was just a support, a best friend to the lead actor. However, we did get the randiness Chiwetalu is known for in his movies.
EMENGINI MY LOVE is a story about two widowed individuals – Udemba (Zulu Adigwe) and Emengini (Rita Arum). Both loved their deceased spouses so much so that they vowed never to fall in love ever again. However, fate had other plans for them.
They fall in love with each other the first time they meet – that it defies all reasonable understanding. They even start doing things for each other that nobody expected them to do for anybody other than their late spouses. While their relationship is growing in the village, their children Ben (Yul Edochie) and Ndali (Chacha Eke Faani), meet and fall in love in the city.
As both couples are loving themselves in different geographical settings, they spread the good news to each other about how happy they are and all that good stuff. But when they finally meet, it becomes a grand showdown – with each party asking the other to back down.
Although it was actually quite a funny movie, its beauty rests on the fact that it showed how the love between both Emengini and Udemba grew. Another great thing about it was that both couples in love loved the same way. Ben and Ndali inherited from their parents, Udemba and Emengini, their very passionate hearts.
All four loved hard, so hard that they were ready to take their own lives, which was quite beautiful to watch. I also want to applaud Zulu Adigwe on his portrayal of Udemba – a mildly educated newspaper vendor.
I also loved the amendment of tradition/culture, emphasizing that people make culture and not the other way round. Initially, the villagers kept screaming, “Abomination! Abomination! Abomination!” instead of thinking about the feelings of the people involved.
However, after all the abomination chants, the people realized that the culture could be amended to allow love to blossom. Amazing stuff, and this brings me to the end of the movie.ย
It was sweet and, at the same time, annoying. Were we supposed to make out the rest of the movie in our heads? I know it was clear, but still, it wasnโt clear enough. When you make a movie like this, we need to be very sure of how it ends. We do not need cliffhangers. Leave that for the thriller people.
Besides, why wasnโt Tari at the wedding? Why didnโt we get to see him coming face to face with his father since the writer shoved his storyline down our throats?
I know I talked about all of the love I had for this movie, but there were some things I could not stand. First was the atrocious soundtrack in part one. It was beyond distracting and didnโt even fit the movie.
The soundtrack was so loud and medieval for a Nigerian village movie. It was like Beowulf missed his way to Heorot and ended up in Umuofia when Things were about to Fall Apart.
The second was the prodigal son angle they tried to pursue with Tari (Zubby Michael). It did correlate with the story in the beginning, but later on, it just seemed like a cheap attempt at wisecracks.
The third was the Bollywood-esque singing. It could have done without it. All it did for the movie was make it longer. It was neither romantic nor endearing.
Finally, TRANSLATIONS!!! I would never stop begging for this. I think we even need to start a petition for this because there wasnโt any in this movie. I don’t understand how you can make a movie in a multilingual country and continent but choose to ignore the need for translations.
Nollywood filmmakers, you people need to realize that your movies are not only watched by Igbos but by other Nigerians and Africans. You guys have a global audience, and you need to start thinking in that way.
Zulu Adigwe as Udemba
Rita Arum as Ememgini
Yul Edochie as Ben
Chacha Eke Faani as Ndali ‘Anderline’
Chiwetalu Agu as Nweke Nweke
Zubby Michael as Tari
Directed by
Ken Steve Anuka
Written by
Onyenze Amobi R
Screenplay by
Ken Steve Anuka
Do you agree with me?