By Enitan Abdultawab
Sometimes, when our worst fears are realized is when we are actually set free.
There is always a reason why Lagosians demonstrate the distinction of the two sides of the bridge. Lives on these two sides are different – while the rich, elites dominate the posh side of the bridge, the middle, struggling inhabitant dominate the mainland side of the bridge. But these two would surely co-exist, and one could see the influx of mainlanders into the island in search of better job opportunities that would translate to more enviable lives.
This is what highlights the plot of Uti Nwachukwu’s new production, topped with a love story of a famous musician who is under a contract with another famed organization. In light of this, Uti Nwachukwu sheds light on what musicians go through with organizations or record labels, echoing negative reports that have blighted the entertainment industries all this while.
Set in metropolitan, posh Lagos with all glitz, glamour and exquisiteness that especially is typical with the life of a famous Nigerian artiste, A Lagos Love Story opens the real behind-the-scenes commitments that average Lagosians make to make ends meet and succeed at the same time. In the same vein, it makes viewers acknowledge inner motives of top entrepreneurs and business minds while dealing with those at their mercies.
Synopsis
The plot trails the story of Promise Quest (Jemimah Osunde) who has to work as a concierge to King Kator (Mike Afolarin), ensuring that she has to make King Kator in line to do what the company wants him to do in just four days. This role would earn her a big employment contract from Fadekemi Rhodes, the owner of the company which has signed King Kator on a contract. Within these four days, Promise has to deal with her younger sister Favour (Susan Pwajok) who is also struggling to succeed in her fashion brand, their father who is battling with an illness and cannot pay the house rent because he no longer works after an accident at work.
King Kator (and his guys) at first do not like the overbearing of Promise but they begin to like her presence after Kator makes a song under five hours at the influence of Promise, whom he now falls in love with. Mayowa (Uti Nwachukwu) even offers to pay her #20,000,000 if she can stay to keep making Kator happy. In a concert that Kator had sacrificed a London Arena show for, he gets into a scuttle with a lady for he tried to protect Promise. He lands in the hospital but makes it up with another concert later. There, Promise shows up, confesses her love and both kiss and embrace.
Thematic allure
Through the character of Jemima Osunde, we can clearly see how average Nigerians find themselves in the mercy of rich elites who put them under unfavourable contracts. Favour wants to keep the house her family lives in by getting some loan to clear off the debts they family has incurred. She thus does not have a choice but to keep Kator within limits under four days so she can get a lucrative contract from Fadekemi Rhodes. Promise represents an average, young, hardworking Lagos lady who lives in the trenches but hustles on the island to save her dead mother and ailing father.
Whilst this struggle, Favour keeps building relationships in order to revive her ‘Sassy By Favour’ fashion brand but she finds out that her best friend, Adanna (Uche Montanna) is only paving way for her so she can own a larger percentage of the brand. This infers that some top entrepreneurs are interested in making decisions for aspiring entrepreneurs, and this leaves them (aspiring entrepreneurs) with little or no choice. This situation is slightly seen in the condition that Fadekemi Rhodes places Promise.
In addition, the entertainment space is distraught with a lot of managerial imbalances. Kator is burdened by an organization that not only dictates his musical direction but also makes deeply personal decisions for him—going as far as selecting a concierge without his input. Perhaps most telling is his forced decision to sacrifice a major show in London, a move that should have advanced his career, but instead becomes a casualty of the label’s agenda.
Cast allure
The movie features Uti Nwachukwu, Jemima Osunde, Susan Pwajok, Mike Afolarin, Chimezie Imo, Uche Montana, Veeiye, Ihuoma Linda Ejiofor, IK Osakioduwa, and many others.
Mike Afolarin’s Asake-esque role is perfect while Jemima struggles to contain being a ‘trenches’ lady and a conformist of a typical city Lagos girl. Her sister is slightly usually put in her place by Adanna’s friends but she fits in the role so well.
Cinematography
Everything cinematographic in the movie is top-notch. From the camera quality to the visual angles to the drone-shots of tall buildings across the ghetto and metropolitan, viewers are treated to a clear visual and cinematographic shots, and this makes the movie stand out as appealing to visual aesthetics.
What makes the movie’s cinematography more brilliant is how the producers stage concert scenes and music videos for King Kator. This further serves as a platform for other music-themes movies that are yet to be produced.
Rating
As much as A Lagos Love Story defines the present realities of love and class in Lagos, it somehow loses its credibility in the first few scenes with the scene of Kator and Promise bumping into each other. This opens with a lot of predictability on the part of the two’s actions in the movie.
As predicted, Kator and Promise end up being lovers but what became of Kator’s contract with Fadekemi Rhodes’ company is not revealed.
The movie also lacks inconsistency with Kator’s role. Sometimes, he is portrayed like an established artiste while he seems like an up-and-coming artiste sometimes.
Despite these flaws, A Lagos Love Story get a 7/10 rating.
The post A Lagos Love Story review: Class, contract and love highlight music in Lagos appeared first on Vanguard News.
