All I Ever Wanted

Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever

All I Ever Wanted ~ 2009
Story – Ral Nwanko, Amaka Chukwogo
Screenplay – Chinelo Ndigwe (credited Uzoigwe)
Director – Daniel Ademinokan

Starring:
Desmond Elliot – Eddy
Mercy Johnson – Bimye
Uche Ndigwe – Chike
Chinelo Ndigwe – Lara (credited Uzoigwe)
Comfort Bruno – Grace
Sandra Uchemba – Didi
Nkemika Ejikeme – Ral
Chidera Anih – Kachi
Buchi Ndigwe – Amaka
Jenifer Okoli – Adaugo
Chigozi Okoli – Mustapha
Uzoaku Nkwocha – Sister Rose

Themes:

My Rating: 52%

Desmond is the father of three daughters, Kachi (8), Ral (11) and Didi (14). He is raising them singlehandedly since his wife died. He is devoted to them but is so dedicated to his parenting that he leaves no time for dating.  His daughters see this and are determined to find a wife for him.

*************SPOILERS*************

One daughter asks Eddy,

“Daddy when are you getting us a new mummy?” It is as if it is a pet rabbit or dog she is talking about.

“Daddy I need a new mummy, “ another says. What kid says that? Your mama dies and you are begging for a new one like it was simply a shoe that got scuffed. I didn’t find the children’s dialogues convincing.

In the earlier scenes the girls are talking about how much they appreciate their father and want to make him happy and then a few scenes later we see them begging for a mother to replace their own. I thought that the story was angled wrongly. It would have made more sense to me if they had focused on the girls wanting to find their father a wife to make him happy, as opposed to make them happy.

We find out more about the girl’s dead mother. We hear that she wasn’t always there for them physically as she was working. Even kids that are abused have love for their parents so are we to believe that because their mother comes home late from work her kids will desecrate her memory in death to be begging for a new mother just like that? I don’t buy it. These are not young young children. They are 8, 11 and 14 and in the clip that we see of them with their mother still alive they did not look too much younger.

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The story really pushes the point that these girls want a mummy to the point of excruciating torture. In one scene one of the girl’s has a nightmare and wakes screaming, “mummy! Mummy! Mummy!” You would have thought that screaming for her dead mother, wanting to be comforted, but when father goes to comfort her, does she say, “Oh I miss my mummy!” Nooooooooo She doesn’t. she tells him, “I need a mummy.” Real feelings and emotions do not work like that. It is if she wants any woman that she can attach the title “mummy” to.

On another occasion we see one of the girls telling her classmate that she wants a new mummy so that she can have a new brother like another girl at school. All the repetition and begging from the girls gets very boring. I tell you I was ready to give up half way through part 1. there is however improvement towards the end of part 1 when we get to see the connection between Mercy and Desmond. They should have cut out half of what they were showing beforehand and got to this part of the movie a lot earlier. There was some very real and beautiful chemistry between Desmond and Mercy, reminiscent of what was seen in Before the Light.

Didi is resentful towards Bimye. She is annoyed that this women has come into their lives and is being referred to as mummy immediately. The movie makes this seem unreasonable. Seriously! Why wouldn’t a 14 year old whose father has just started a new relationship feel peeved that this woman is now being referred to as mummy? However at the same time she not long before she was all for finding a “mummy.

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This movie didn’t ring true to me. I didn’t feel that the emotions showed to us was a depiction or true emotion. It was however to some degree a feel good film and suitable for family viewing. My main problem was with the script and the fakeness of the dialogue. Apart from that it could have worked. The picture and sound were good and I loved the soundtrack. I would recommend it as one to watch with children, but as for me personally I could have done without watching it. Must give kudos to the dance off at the end of the movie where the cast members dance alongside the credits to a jazz version of Timaya’s True Story.