Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Keep My Love ~ 2008
Story – Uchenna Mbunabo
Screenplay – Ubong Bassey
Director – Ikechukwu Onyeka
Starring:
Jackie Appiah – Mirabel
Chidi Mokeme – Murphy
Yvonne Nelson – Carinn
Patience Oseni – Amaka
Florence Sunday – Agatha
Austin Okudiri – Dray
Stanley E Ozoemenam – Kizito
Valentino Agwulonu – Brown
Judith Samuel – Winnie
Uche Chibuzor – Susan
Themes Explored:
Armed Robbery in Nigeria
Materialism in Nigeria
Greed in Nigeria
Rape in Nigeria
My Rating – 79%
The film opens with a couple being attacked inside their home by armed robbers. Even when the man is at risk of being killed and has a gun to his head he still refuses to tell the robbers where the money is. Is money more important than your family’s life? Even when he hears one of the robbers telling another that the informant has given reliable information that there is 200,000 in the house the man is still resistant. Of course in the end the robbers get their hands on the loot and the man gets to keep his life.
In the aftermath of the robbery we see the robbers discussing what had transpired with one of the gang members busy raping a girl in the house when the others were trying to leave. We see opposing views on rape and sex. One school of thought believes the enjoyment in sex is the mutual enjoyment of the act, to please the girl and make her happy. On the other hand the rapist enjoys sex when he is conquering the girl. When questioned he said that the fear in the eyes turned him on more. Na wa o!
Elsewhere we are introduced to Carrine, played by Yvonne Nelson. She appears to be an ashewo. We see her getting out of a man’s car and cursing him out because he pays her 2000 Naira instead of 10000. Yvonne plays the role of the loud mouth street girl to a T. I am liking this character for her. It is a more complex one than the usual Princess Tyra/snobbish campus girl that I’ve seen her play. She slaps the guy for not paying her and then proceeds to argue with him in the street while her friend has been briefed beforehand to snatch his wallet. We then see her fight with the girl who snatched the wallet for withholding money.
The girl she is squatting with at university then throws her out of the room and she is forced to return home. This bit was a bit confusing because it seemed like Carinne had been on campus for a while pretending to her parents that she was a student, but then when she returns home her mother seems to be worried about not knowing where she was for only that weekend.
The next character we meet is Jackie Appiah’s. After watching her wooden and sub par performance in My Last Wedding I wasn’t too much looking forward to seeing her again so soon. Surprisingly she wasn’t bad. We meet Chika (or so she says her name is) when the armed robber gang lead by chief robber Murphy are about to carry out a robbery on a bus to Onitsha. Their informant has tipped them off that this heist is worth 4.5 million. When the time comes for the attack to be carried out Murphy is busy chatting to a girl he has met on the bus and the gang are PISSED, in fact more than pissed! As he is the leader the plan can not come to fruition without his say so. As he is toasting the girl he obviously does not want her to know he is an armed robber and so the journey is completed without the robbery taking place.
After a lengthy chasing period Murphy and the girl from the bus start a romantic relationship and it is beginning to affect Murphy’s relationship within the gang. They are beginning to feel his relationship with her is taking priority over “business” and on the other side of the coin he is having to tell her endless lies to cover up the true nature of his “job.”
*************SPOILERS*************
The story comes together and we find out the wayward Carrine is the sister to Murphy’s girlfriend. And she will feature in their relationship in a way that could never be imagined. The movie is a somewhat serious one splashed with high comedy moments (all involving Yvonne Nelson):
The scene where Carrine curses the man out on the street for not paying her is hilarious. She shouts him “You stupid boy… cheap boy” While walking around him glaring disapprovingly all the while knowing that her friend has just swiped his wallet.
There is a scene where Carrine is being intimate with a married man on the sofa in his house wearing his wife’s wrapper and the wife walks in. The wife chases her around the sofa screaming, “Show me what to do.” This is hilarious
Another scene is where the same married man turns up at her mother’s home and confronts her over stealing his card. She does not even deny it but then even goes on to tell the man that he must get his wife to write her a written letter of apology for embarrassing her at the house. All in front of her mother! She is shameless!
The plot is engaging and well paced. Every step of the way you wonder whether or not the girl from the bus will discover Murphy’s omissions about his life. There is also the question of whether or not Murphy’s gang will turn on him and whether or not Murphy will ever be able to get out of the criminal life he is accustomed to living. The film ends and you know there is a continuation, as much as I hate this 4-8 film part craze I will definitely be watching the rest.
My one annoyance about this film was the fact that the blurb on the back ruins the film watching experience because it gives the whole plot away (which is why I read the back cover after watching the film!) Of course this is a problem not exclusive to just this film, however this one went one step further and gave away the plot for the continuation because what I reading on the back of Part 2 had not even happened! Oh and another one, (so excuse me; two annoyances) when the credits rolled the first letter on each name was cut off. What is that about? Nevertheless it was a solidly good film and I would recommend it.
Where in God's name do you keep plucking Segun's name from? Abeg, Abeg... leave that one jare....
Which peppe? It is only a silly person that tries to pull a sleeping tiger's tail.
Tall is only one factor> Nonso has all that I desire, very sexy eyes, full lips, and I love his smile he is very handsome.
Please... I think you are suffering from Alzheimer's...
I said my list as follows:
Nonso,
Muna Obiekwe
Desmond Elliott
Pat attah
So there.
I think you secretly desire :
1/ Segun Arinze
2/ Justus Esiri
3/ Pete Edochie
4/Nkem Owoh
Oldies but goodies... now we are truly friends...
As long as you keep your hands and your onyikes out /off my pot.
one should not reap where they did not sow.
It is only a careless child that will pick up hot coal from the fire.
NF you have been warned....
- spam
- offensive
- disagree
- off topic
Like