tw Movie Ticket: What Lies Within
Directed by Vanessa Nzediegwu.
Starring Michelle Dede as Fiona, Paul Utomi as Barry, Kiki Omeili as Miss Dimeji, Vanessa Nzediegwu as Ireti, Tope Tedela as Gboyega, Ken Erics as Brian, Odenike Odetola as Esther and Okey Uzoeshi as Derrick
Yes, this is another movie centered on abuse, battery and emotional rage. But there is something quite dark and real about the way these actors depicted their characters. It made it all so real! Watch out for the beat up scene, it was intense!
The opening scene of the movie introduced an eerie reptile and a radio station scene. Oh and the reptile – creepy! What was that about? But the good side is that it set the tone for the kind of movie it turned out to be – a thrilling drama.
What Lies Within is the kind of movie you watch and try to engage your own sixth sense. But I will advise you just sit back, relax and enjoy as the story unfolds. Being a non-linear story, it was crafted carefully to avoid losing the audience in the narrative. You should take care to note the time each event occurs to avoid being thrown in a daze.
Now a bit of gist on characters…
Hold on to your seats because there are a lot of names!
Ireti and Fiona are sisters-in-law who have formed a close bond. They are married to brothers – Brian and Barry, who have a younger sister, Esther. Esther is a Doctor and she’s dating Gboyega, an optometrist/ Assistant Pastor (Tope Tedela’s comical, ‘Steve-Urkel-type’ character brought a bit of humour to the movie – I loved it!).
Ireti is a distressed and pregnant wife to abusive husband, Brian (Ken Erics), who is the younger of the two brothers. Vanessa Nzediegwu played the role of Ireti so well; I can’t tell if this is as a result of her double-hatting as director and actress, or perhaps the testimonial of her creative prowess. In any case, her ‘distressed wife’ role was well depicted. But I wonder if her unmanicured nails were a part of the story as well? I noticed that quite a few times, and I think only Fiona was the only character had a good manicure. Hmm…
There were also a few other characters who stood out to me. Ebele Okaro-Onyiuke featured as the obnoxious mother in law, known as Mama in the movie – she is the typical ‘Mother-in-law from HELL’. Then on to the role of the nosy neighbour, Miss Dimeji, played by Kiki Omeili – she was Fiona’s neighbour and work colleague. She had a subtle, yet effective role in the movie.
In terms of the scenes, I had a problem with the dinner scene; I think the wait took too long. I know we don’t mind eating dinner late in this part of the world, but let’s be realistic people – Imagine you set a dinner time for 7 pm, and because one guest, who is neither the celebrant nor host, doesn’t show up, everyone is kept waiting.
Does that ring true?
Well you be the judge…
Well despite this, I enjoyed the movie. It had an unpredictable end, and when you watch it, you will see what I mean. This reminded me again that Nollywood is going places. And I liked that each character had their own individuality so it didn’t feel disorderly.
Something else that impressed me was the cast – a great line up and a couple of new names – Vanessa’s directorial debut, Paul Utomi’s first production as well and Michelle Dede’s acting debut. Yet, they all pulled off a star performance.
Well done guys!
I will rate it a 4/5
Have you seen the movie?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!
And for those of you who have not, put it on your schedule for the weekend!
Don’t forget to come back to this space and let us know what you think!
