Written, directed and produced by Kathryn Fasegha is this Nollywood romance drama that promises to be a hundred percent but barely delivers 10 percent.
The storyline follows the lives of Ejikeme (Mawuli Gavor) and Lola (Beverly Naya). It all comes together when Ejikeme, an investment banker based in the United States return to Nigeria with Lola’s brother, Charlie (Okey Uzoeshi), to invest in Nigerian businesses. For Lola and Ejikeme, it is love at first sight and soon after love happens, their lives are intertwined on a journey of discovery. Amidst all that transpires, they have to contend with the political aspirations of Ejikeme’s mother who has planned a marriage between him and Otunba Ayodeji’s daughter, in order to seal the deal of Ejikeme’s father being his running mate for the Nigerian Presidency.
2 Weeks in Lagos Official Movie Trailer. Credit: AFOREVO TV |YouTube
Sadly, this is one of those movies with a few good highlights and a lot of not-so-good things. On the flipside, the upsides are noteworthy.
The opening montage captures the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge from a beautiful perspective alongside the dazzling night lights of Lekki Phase One. It has a vibe that has viewers hooked, an enthralling voiceover goes: This is Lagos, where dreams are born every few seconds, and where dreams are crushed every few seconds, of course, colour the viewed intrigue. It sets the stage, using Lagos as a brilliant backdrop. A thread that is woven through most of the movie.
Another thing this movie has going for it is its ability to incorporate a little bit of local flavour in the storyline. The local flavour can be picked on in scenes where actors are seen playing ayo (a desktop Nigerian game) or buying food from bukkas (local Nigerian restaurants).
Unfortunately, there is a lot to say about the things this movie did not have going for it.
The acting in this movie felt far from natural; it is best described as sub-par. Mawuli Gavor as Ejikeme was not nearly convincing, even in the scenes where he was meant to express intimate emotions, it felt forced. It’s a bit worrying because Gavor seems to have a reoccurring theme of relying on his arguably stellar looks rather than any acting prowess to push his character forward. Toyin Abraham as Kemi appears to be struggling with her character for most of the movie. A lot of the characters didn’t quite sell their roles. A disconnect from the story was created with the audience.
This movie’s biggest flaw is in its failure to deploy conflict even in the situations where it was most necessary. The plot failed to relay to its audience the sense of direness that certain situations embodied. Another thing that is quite problematic is the conflict resolution techniques; it just did not gel properly. It fell flat.
The screenplay hardly lives up to its name 2 Weeks in Lagos because it could have literally been filmed anywhere else. The sights and sounds of Lagos are barely infused in the love story, despite the promising beginning.
Cinematography should be given a “three out of 10 stars” as interior scenes had issues with lightning, the faces of actors are barely visible in some interior scenes. There is also a big issue of identity crisis – viewers can barely tell if it’s comedy, a rom-com, romantic-drama, a political thriller or a religious themed movie. Lastly, the plot was all over the place and had too many subplots. Also, some parts of the plot are completely unrealistic and even more so in Nigeria.
Although ‘2 Weeks in Lagos’ is a movie with more downs than ups, it is a good watch for hopeless romantics and aspiring lovers. Check it out today on Netflix.
Didi Dan-Asisah is an art enthusiast and critic. She lives in Lagos.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
