The pleasure's all ours
By Chude Jideonwo
Emem Isong is one of an endangered breed of Nollywood producers/directors who manage to be prolific while producing movies that don't insult your intelligence.
Still, this has its drawbacks - a thread of uneven delivery that runs through her work. And uneven is also how "Guilty Pleasures" starts.
The actor that first hits the screen, Omoni Oboli - who always takes time to get into her elements - is tentative at best. It doesn't help that the story wastes time with mindless foreplay (pun intended).
It's the staple thriller about seduction and adultery and being caught. A bored housewife (Nse Ikpe-Etim), most remembered for a brilliant turn in ‘Reloaded', is in a mismatched marriage with a controlling man (Ramsey Nouah) that eventually leads her into the quite willing arms of his brother. But the beauty of this particular journey is in its pronounced contours. The basic story of adultery is tastefully deepened by richness in texture and expression.
The movie heats up once Majid Michael comes into the scene - and the young man is a pleasant surprise. Plastic in several movies where he only managed to coast, based on his - admittedly very good - looks, here he is actually made to act. And there are hints of his trademark overacting, but talent manages to shine through. He handles his role as a free spirited photographer, masking an inner void with tenderness and thought. It turns out all these people really need is a good script and a director with a head on her shoulders.
With Nse, the chemistry is fantastic. The times they are on screen together, the elements - camera work, continuity etc - align. Their kisses are a visual delight, and the reactions shots create frames of pure electricity (Bobby, the guard! She screams in one scene of animal passion, and, with the camera offering intimate shots, they deliver another priceless sequence). This movie handles seduction like a pro.
The characters are three-dimensional and the acting is consistent and measured. Nouah was splendid here (minus the annoying accent that he won't seem to let go of). He also joins Nse and Majid in an impressive character consistency that sets this movie far apart from Nollywood staples. The sharp contrast with the Pidgin English-speaking (she gives the movie some of its best lines) ex-supermodel wife he married as a trophy expertly helps the movie along.
The last scenes of the movie are its finest: the slow unravelling from the point where Nse tells her husband she is in love with another man. From that point, the producers have the viewers where they want. Ramsey goes through a whole range of emotions that Nollywood directors never seem to think Nigerians are capable of. There's violence, love, a silent, desperate plea, anger (look out for the scene after he kisses her) and then saliva.
Nse's tears are absolutely heart wrenching. Her grunts and her tears flow in a very... Nigerian way. Isong deserves credit for this - there's no annoying aping of Hollywood tears or being cartoonish. Every part of this film pulses with originality and depth.
Of course, "Guilty Pleasures" starts with two women, burned by their lovers, sharing stories. However, in truth, the second story is hardly worth telling. It peters out because it didn't really belong in the film; despite fine acting and finely handled suspense - ultimately falling under its own lugubrious weight.
All that storyline has to offer is Mercy Johnson. The (cliché alert!) sultry actress is its only strength. Johnson doesn't get enough credit; her talent is raw and has real power and she is unafraid to push the envelope or to take on an array of challenging roles. Unfortunately, neither the story nor her co-actors bring much to the table. The characterisation is still strong, but many of the actors who are to give them life really shouldn't be acting.
It's generally the thing about Isong's movies. The characters are well fleshed out, but aren't fully carried out. Which would mean one thing: the script is strong (which is no surprise: in a perfect world, Isong would focus on her scriptwriting), but the directing doesn't live up to it. Not everyone is a gem like Nse, able to carry a character effortlessly.
However, with a strong story strung between the spectacular acting of Noauh, Majid and Nse, this is Nollywood at one of its finest hours. At the end of the movie, you feel the pain of every single character you have been introduced to. Which is a lot to say for what is otherwise an everyday story.
Emem Isong has a chest of films that deserve AMAA awards, but in "Guilty Pleasures", she has (almost) Oscar material.
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