Palace Maid

Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever

Palace Maid ~ 2009
Story, Screenplay & Direction – Ikenna Emma Aniekwe

Starring:
Van Vicker – Nnanna
Tonto Dikeh – Adaku
Ini Edo – Nwadi
Patience Ozokwor – Queen
Vitalis Ndubuisi – King Omenauko
Gaddiel Onwudiwe – Udechi
Abraham Madubuko – Udembah
Rachel Okonkwo – Ntasi
Ify Afuba – Agbomma
Emma Ayalogu – Osita
Dike Ngwube – Adaku’s dad
Hayez Achu – Okpalu
Eve Esiri – Felicia
Chiebonam Oragwa – Udoka
Chinedu Odinachi – Uba
Ed Nnasor – Doctor
Gabriel Okorie – Eloka
Lucky Ovuakporaye – Onuwu
Chioma Iwueze – Obidiya

Themes:
Royalty
Rape
Dehumanisation of house help

My Rating – 41%

Prince Nnanna comes back from London to find that his parents have betrothed him to a princess. On getting to know her he finds her to be surly and rude and has no intention of marrying her. After living abroad for some time he is shocked to return to the palace and see the way that house help are treated in a less that human manner by his mother. She insults and demeans them at every opportunity. Despite her treatment of them the Prince is always gracious to them, taking particular interest in Nwadi, seemingly preferring her to the loud and arrogant Princess Adaku.

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

One night Nnana Nnanna goes out to a bar with the Princess and his PA. He gets drunk and on returning home finds Nwadi crying and takes her to his room with him. She tries to put him to bed but he forces himself on her. We see her struggling, screaming and crying before the screen fades out.

The next day the Nnanna and Nwadi are behaving as if nothing major happened the night before. He asks her what happened and then tells her his side of the story before she can even respond. He tells her that he was drunk, as if this excuses his despicable behaviour, obviously it does because she seems fine with this explanation. After this they continue sleeping together (we don’t see it but it is hinted towards) and the whole scenario gives the impression that rape is OK. It is something that women ask for and enjoy. It gives the impression that no does not really mean no, that a woman needs to be raped to feel virtuous, that rape is a normal part of male/ female relationships. This is all bullshit and something that needs to be seriously redressed in Nollywood.

Nwadi soon falls pregnant and she herself tells the story of how she got pregnant in a way that puts the blame of the situation in her hands. It is made out as if she were prostituting herself for money to treat her mother’s illness, although in what we see it certainly does not come across that way. It is in this instance that we can deduce that they have had sex on more than one occasion. There is a discrepancy in what we see and then what we are told through the dialogue. It would have made sense for them to have had consensual sex in the first instance. The whole “rape” thing adds no value except to suggest that women like being raped.

Patience plays the ruling matriarch of the family. She treats the househelp as if they are subhuman and shows them little compassion. When Ini leaves her duties to go and attend to her sick mother she scolds her mercilessly. This kind of behaviour mirrors real life where often house help are treated like animals and not afforded the respect that one generally affords to a human being.

I thought that Van Vicker was doing a good job at playing a drunk on the night out with Princess until he got back to the palace and his act slips. He sees the maid crying and just before he exclaims, “OMG I’m peeing my pants!” he comes totally out of character and comes across over the top and unconvincing.

I would not recommend this film. It was the run of the mill Prince comes back from abroad, meant to get hooked up with a princess and falls for a pauper movie, so nothing new at all there. No stand out performances, in fact it was all pretty much very dry. The script was below mediocre, a lot of the dialogue was contrived, awkward and unnatural. After two parts the story did not ended which means that there is more. *Yawn*

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