Paulicap and Perpetual

Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever

Paulicap and Perpetual ~ 2008
Director – Tchidi Chikere
Story – Chinedu Collins Ezenwa
Screenplay – Tchidi Chikere

Starring:
Nkem Owoh – Paulicap
Mercy Johnson – Perpetual
Queen Nwokoye – Mabel
Jude Oteka – Pastor Midas
Collette Orji – Irene
Jacinta Ikelu – Juliet
Ejine Okoroafor – Rose Flower
Lynn Harrison – Pinky
Sylvia Oluchi – Beauty
Ebere Okonkwo – Grace
Edith Onovo – Olivia
Afuba Chukwudi – Chuka
Martin Njugbigbo – Kalu
Elvis Obi – Mr Jones
David Aginwa – Officer Jake
Junior Pope Obonwodo – Officer Nick
Harry Green – Mutiu
Chigozie Okolie – Ikoku
Kate Sam – Olivia
Amaka Bessie – Sarah
Sam Uche – Hotel worker
Gaddiel Onwudiwe – DPO

Themes Explored:
Infidelity in Nigeria
Aristo Culture in Nigeria
Charms in Africa

My Rating – 84%

Mabel is Paulicap’s down trodden and long suffering wife. She has been with him for 15 years and they share a son, but this is not enough to keep him from hitting on every pretty lady in town. His wife catches him at a hotel on different occasions emerging from rooms with a different lady each time. Things even escalate to the point where she engages into a physical altercation with one of his women. Things get even worse when she finds out that he propositioned her shop girl. She has been humiliated and disgraced by her husband, at the end of her tether she know longer knows what to do with herself. She spends her time crying, and praying about the situation, hoping that Paulicap will change.

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

Paulicap on seeing his wife’s endless suffering as a result of his actions decides that it would be best for him to leave her so that she can live her life and find happiness. I thought it was an honourable thing to do for Paulicap to let Mabel go He leaves her the house and the supermarket they own, but Mabel is inconsolable ranting on about on about how much she has done for him. She is not happy with him, and he has told her he is not willing to change his ways but still she keeps trying to hang on to the relationship despite telling the pastor at one point,

“God did not create Paulicap and Mabel together that I will die without him.”
_____________

Paulicap meets Perpetual on the roadside one day. She appears mysterious telling him to find her himself rather than giving him her number. The tactic works and Paulicap searches for her in the area he first saw her until one day they meet again on the roadside. Despite initially resisting Paulicap’s advances Perpetual is soon smitten with him. Despite him promising to remain true to Perpetual his philandering ways soon start up again. Perpetual takes matters into her own hands and embarks on a drastic course of action that backfires on her terribly.

I liked this film a lot. It was engaging and very funny in parts. The one thing I was disappointed in was the way it ended. I feel using the whole “charms” storyline is a cop out for when people don’t know what direction to take the movie in. Mabel tells Perpetual at the end of the movie,

“You will know the crime in hypnotising a man through sorcery.”

I believe such a scenario sends out the wrong message to women that whenever ya man cheats it is the fault of another woman and not the man himself. It absolves the man of all blame and places it onto a woman’s shoulders. The question must be asked, did you marry a woman or a man? Who made that commitment to you?

I was impressed with Queen Nwokoye. I usually find her a bit stiff and dull but she definitely exceeded my expectations. She effectively conveyed emotion and her dialogue flowed with none of her usual awkwardness, I think it may now be time for her to be taken off the list of DRIVE BY actresses. Nkem Owoh was his usual funny self. I would recommend the film and it has a strong warning message which is, “Be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it!”