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Sodas & Popcorn – Short Film Review: Brave
We dedicate this review to an Asset which the Nigerian Movie industry lost Yesterday April 29th, Amaka Igwe. May your soul rest in peace Ma.
Directed & written By: LowlaDee
Director of Photography: Miju Diya
Genre: Drama
Year: 2014
Cast: Adesua Etomi, Wole Ojo, Diana Yekini and Funmi Sobayo
Synopsis
BRAVE is a short film inspired by a true story, based on the lives of a young couple who seem to have happiness, love and comfort. Tragedy strikes on a night which was meant to be special and marks the beginning of a nightmare both may not wake from and suddenly, love is not enough.
The Script
Inspired by page 88 of Bishop T.D Jake’s The Lady, Her Lover & Her Lord, “Brave” is a well-behaved, inspirational love story about a couple; Layo and Nathan who have been married for two years and are both very much in love with each other. This is established in the first scene where we see Nathan consoling Layo about their inability to bear a child after two years of marriage. The dialogues are well written and makes the story the more believable and appreciated.
Wittingly and subtly, we are told that they aren’t a strong Christian couple when he takes permission to quote a Bible verse (which he intended for sexual use anyways. Talk about a sharp guy) which made the woman a little bit surprised. This is used in establishing an important message in the movie – an element which tells me the script writing was smart.
Without having to dwell too much on scenes, Brave moves at a lovely pace with remarkable continuity. It’s one of the most emotional movies from Nollywood I have seen in a while and was capable of accomplishing what a feature film would have set out to do in its mere thirty minute length. When the third act of the movie which is the resolution is finally established, I couldn’t help but feel a shiver within me.
The Directing
Brave’s remarkability couldn’t have been possible without the impressive vision of a young filmmaker and her talented team. They should be looked out for in years to come. Although the editing was questionable in a few scenes, but hey, it’s a short film by a crew with experience which isn’t extensive. I was still impressed by the sex scene which was sensual and believable. The lightening in the scene was done well. Kudos to the director of photography Miju Diya.
The sound design was also good and within the limit of resources choice of location, set design, makeup and costume was impressive. While there were goofs in details such as: the series mentioned ‘Scandal’ which wasn’t on in 2006, and the brand of smart phones which weren’t out there yet at the time – I believe it’s not really relevant in this case. It should be noted for future projects – be it a short or a feature film.
The Acting
Wole Ojo and Adesua Etomi’s execution of the simple and well written story was heartfelt and made it easier for the message intended to be delivered beautifully. Wole Ojo, who is the winner of the 4th edition of the popular actors reality show Amstel Malta Box Office, proved his worth with the good range of emotions and how quickly the tears rolled down his cheek. It was touching.
Adesua Etomi who previously starred in another Lowla Dee project titled “The Call” is more of a fresh and welcome face in the industry, with her first big break being Royal Arts Academy’s Knocking On Heaven’s Door. As the lead actress, she holds her ground solidly against the performance of Wole Ojo and together, they made the movie the marvel it is.
Every other act in their little roles did their job pretty well.
The Verdict
Brave doesn’t try too hard to impress. It’s a simple movie with a strong message which I enjoyed well and wanted to be longer than 30 minutes. It earns a Sodas & Popcorn and we look forward to future projects from this team.
This review was brought to you by www.sodasandpopcorn.com Award winning movie blog. We Watch Movies So You (Don’t) Have To.
Review by @don_sylvestre for @sodas_popcorn
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