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I can't recall how i stumbled on this one but i saw it over the weekend. Although the title made me think that i could tell what it's about, the starring of Chidi Mokeme and Bovi who are known to to usually play certain roles(of different character lines) piqued my interest. And so i thought to see it.
Moving on..
This five-episode series titled “Life & dirt" is written and co-directed by Bovi Ugboma.
SYNOPSES
It tells the story of Yoshua ‘Yo’ (portrayed by Bovi himself) who runs three businesses for his mentor Ajazi (portrayed by Chidi Mokeme).
A subplot to the story is: the family of Chief Obi (Kanayo O. Kanayo) who is a politician. Chief has two daughters, Nkem (Idia Aisien) and Ijeoma ‘IJ’ (Dorcas Shola Fapson).
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I apologize but...Spoiler Alert
Chief Obi is a content politician but a typical African father who wants grandchildren so badly from his girls. Their adamant & seeming lackadaisical attitude concerning childbearing forces Chief Obi to make a declaration.
Nkem is a go-getter whose ambition sees her wanting nothing from life but to make it big as politician in pursuit of power even beyond the ordinary. She’s married to Dennis (Uzor Arukwe). Their marriage is marred by domestic abuse.
IJ is Yo’s love interest -but without the commitment- pretty much like ‘no strings attached’ until later when a life altering circumstances changes this.
Yo is a regular, simply and easygoing guy who’s more than happy just being Ajazi’s assistant with regular pay rise but Ajazi wants more from him as he links him up with Nene (Shaffy Bello).
Nene takes Yo through a journey. At the end of the journey, Yo’s life does not remain the same again as he sees himself running against time to terminate, exterminate or defuse a ticking time bömb. Metaphorically.
What journey did Nene take Yo through? What tïcking time bomb is Yo so frantically trying to get rid of? What is Ajazi’s role in this? Will Chief Obi ever get to have a grandchild he so desperately desires? What declaration did he make to his daughters?
I can't tell you. I know I had the spoiler alert thing stated up there but, I think I'll leave you to go see the movie and find out the rest for yourself.
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MY REVIEW
This is an interesting watch with an impressive title.
Fast paced, good scripting, brilliant cinematography, mature theme, befitting soundtrack, incredible audio, editing and visuals.
I loved the part where Yo and Ajazi walked along the road in the midst of a crowd that couldn’t care less. That was applaudable.
The storyline and plot were good. In my opinion, though, it appears to be a packaged Gen-Z blood money, occultic movie, only this time, it came with a twist.
To think that they had to feature Kanayo O Kanayo. Only, he’s playing a completely different role in this.
The movie boasts an incredible casting as they delivered what they know to do best especially KOK, Chidi Mokeme and Shaffy Bello. However, in my view, Shaffy shines brighter than the rest as she is seen to take up a rather different character type here(I don't mind it at all. She was excellent).
Dorcas, as IJ, equally did her thing and constantly reminded me of her role in the TV series “Shuga” I love the way she speaks in movies...very naturally Nigerian. It gets me every time.
Idia did very great at the beginning of the movie. She gave a sparkling first impression with an savvy diction. After that, her performance started to experience ups and downs; sometimes good, sometimes not. Especially when Chief expressed his frustration for wanting kids, Idia zoned out (blank) for a rather uncomfortably long time.
Well, maybe that could be excused to say, she wasn’t given a script for that part. Her last scene showed the lapses in her acting even more. When Uzor tapped her on her shoulders, the way she turned…that was off.
As for Bovi, I feel like he should have given the role of Yoshua to a different actor. He wrote a good story and the directing was relatively good too but his interpretation of the role wasn’t as compelling.
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If you ask me, Gideon Okeke would have mürdered that character! Alex Ekubo would have done amazing with the lover boy element. Stan Nze would have added an extra spice mostly running like a headlëss chicken in confusion.
Most times, it felt like Bovi’s lines were too much for him as such delivery wasn’t fluid as it was mechanically met with friction. Also when he tried to convince IJ to do his bidding, that seemed out of place the way he did it. Looked forced.
Uzor gave a clever role interpretation as a psychopath. Hey, it’s Uzor remember! Guy’s versatile
Chief Obi’s wife was a really passive role. Not sure why and it wasn’t explained either. She was present like she wasn’t
The part where Yo experienced his “trials and tribulations” had some loopholes. For instance, when Yo was thrown into the pit, he wasn’t struggling nor screaming. What happened to the guys digging the pit? Were they poisoned?
What rationale did Nkem have to join a cult for power and affluence when her father was already portrayed to be a politician? Well, unless there’s a second season which would come up with another plot twist to explain that.
The pen ultimate scenes of the movie had a mind blowing plot twist. Never saw that coming! However, the actual end felt a little bit underwhelming. We are made to believe Nene is powerful yet she forgives Yo for trying to end her.
The bodyguard at the door, how come they could not hear the noise from the fight going on in the apartment they guarded? Well maybe the doors are soundproof!
Overall, this was engaging, entertaining with a lesson to trust no one.
I'll give this a 6/10.
I hope that this was interesting to read. Thanks for coming around.