Scent Of Passion

African Nigerian Movie Review
Scent of Passion ~ 2010
Story – Sylvester Madu
Screenplay – Sylvester Madu, Ugezu Jideofor Ugezu
Director – Ugezu Jideofor Ugezu
Producer – Obinna Okeke

Starring:
Van Vicker – Tony
Mercy Johnson – Sophia
Sylvester Madu – Fred
Oge Okoye – Juliet
Ebele Okaro – Mama Tony
Uche Ebere – Sophia’s Mum
Eve Esin – Ify
Obi Dike – Ken
Kennedy Okeke – Didi
Racheal Okonkwo – Jane
Chigozie Okolie – Onyento

Themes:
Infertility
Marriage
Family Pressure

Nollywoodforever.com Rating – 63%

Synopsis:

It is Sophia’s (Mercy Johnson) wedding day and her mother in law to be, played by Ebele Okaro approaches her as she is leaving the house with her bridal party and accuses her of using her “cursed pregnancy” to trap her son. She then attacks Sophia by violently pulling down the top of her dress and knocking the hat of her mother’s head. Sophia flees and gets into an accident whereby she loses the baby and in turn becomes infertile. Sophia and Tony are determined to get married despite it all but Mama Tony too us determined that Sophia not marry her son. Will they ever get married?

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

It was funny how Mama went to go and find a tattooed up girl Juliet, played by Oge Okoye to come and wed her son after complaining that Sophia was a prostitute and with no good reason. Why on earth would she think that Juliet would be a better choice for him than Sophia. I wonder why she was so dead set against Sophia? There seemed to be no feasible reason that I could deduce.

The phrase “be careful what you wish for comes to mind.” When Tony finally has a change of heart and decides to go along with what his mother wants she becomes scared and uncomfortable. She forced Juliet unnecessarily into her son’s life and when he finally succumbs to her wishes she begins to complain. She clearly did not choose Juliet wisely because she is ordered out of the house by Juliet and her behaviour becomes so atrocious that Mama begins to bitterly regret her actions and wish that her only problem in life was Sophia being Tony’s wife.
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Acting
Mama Tony is crazy. I would say a very good job by Ebele Okaro. She has a good acting range in that she can play a meek and mild woman just as well as she can play a crazy lunatic Mama G type. If Mama was acting that way on the wedding day its self you can only imagine how she was actually behaving on the run up to the wedding. Tony’s mother and sister put up a great mother and daughter crazy act.

Oge Okoye had me transfixed when the bad girl came out of her. It was an excellent performance on her part. I loved it when she turned against Tony’s mother and told her,

“You have met your match… Madam Bagasi – Try me!”

Infertility
For once can we have a Nollywood movie whereby an abortion or car crash doesn’t end up with a woman being infertile? That whole story line was so predictable. I guess there is such a premium and importance placed upon fertility in African societies, that they try and get it into the storyline by any means necessary. Your fertility defines your femininity. We see that in this movie. When Tony’s mother find’s out that Sophia is infertile. She states,

“What he has as a wife is a man.”
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Conclusion:

I would recommend the movie. The story was alright and there were some good to excellent performances. Part 1 is a little slow, but the movie picks up a lot on Part 2. I was however disappointed by the Infertility by way of car crash and again Juju being used to explain why a man is sleeping around, and again at the hands of an “evil woman.” This same formula is getting very tired, nevertheless it is worth watching.