I love this brilliant movie review by my friend, Jayne Usen.I am sure you will like it too.I have watched Omo Ghetto and i know that Jayne is on point!
By Jayne Usen
Movie title-’Omo Ghetto’
Written/Produced by Funke Akindele
Director-Abiodun Olarenwaju(Abbey Lanre)
Starring Rachel Oniga, Taiwo Hassan, Yinka Quadri, Eniola Badmus, Ronke Ojo and many more
Funke Akindele has succeeded in producing a movie which may well rival her previous hit,‘Jennifa’. Since its release late last year, ‘Omo Ghetto’ has become one of the most sought after movies and has found an appeal which goes way beyond the Yoruba film lovers.Not only is the flick in hot demand, viewers are made to cough out as much as N800 for a copy. This is a far cry from the regular N400 a typical Nigerian movie cost.
Same script, different cast
Nollywood has seen a lot of flicks which have played around the identical twin twist and this movie is not an exception. What this concept does is to create and heighten suspense, which is an element of a good movie. However, Omo Ghetto’s plot is woven around a set of twins who are separated at birth and are living completely different lives. One is a ghetto kid and leader of a notorious female gang, while the other is raised in affluence and has anger issues. The very popular ghetto twin is daring and ridiculously uncouth in her manners while the rich kid’s temper almost results in death of her fiancee , this incidence made her to go into hiding for fear of being jailed. The ghetto twin, alongside her gang, are apprehended on their way to unleash terror on an unsuspecting victim .This marks the beginning of a lot of twists and revelations.
Typical of Nollywood
This movie comes in four discs (A, B, C and D) and contains up to eight different movie trailers in each of the discs. Half of the time, you may find yourself spooling forward to the main movie. The acting is generally on point and I like the portrayal of the ghetto gangsters,it is believable. In a number of Nollywood films, the Police are often portrayed as hungry looking and powerless fellows,with their tattered uniforms , Omo Ghetto did not deviate from this usual potrayal . In the film, the policemen were clad in faded black shirt atop khaki /army green trousers, making look like ‘KAI or Man O War’ officials. The scene where a policeman goes to the ghetto to ask Lefty’s father to show up at the police station is a good example. He looked more like a messenger than a police officer and little wonder that Baba Oni Baba noted afterwards that the policeman was too sluggish to be an officer. This is not good for the image of the force. And yes, the dialogues in some scenes drag on for too long.
Creative Director
Abiodun Olarenwaju (Abbey Lanre), deserves commendation for making us appreciate the beauty in the midst of squalor and poverty in the ghetto, thanks to his camera angles and shots. The opening shot takes the viewer on a journey through life in the ghetto. He brings home the reality of life in areas where people live, eat and breed on one refuse site.
Apart from a lot irrelevant scenes and excessively long party scenes, the acting is top notch. You cannot help but get blown away by the humour embedded in the story line. Funke Akindele portraying two characters (Lefty the ghetto thug and Ayomide, the rich kid) was at her best. Although Akindele is introduced later in the movie, her sterling performance ups the tempo of the film. Veteran actor Adebayo added a beautiful twist to the title ‘Omo Ghetto’. He is very hilarious and displays a lot of local wit,
you are not likely to forget his character in a hurry .His perfect interpretation of his role depicted a lifestyle in the setting of the movie and showed the mentality of a man irrespective of his socio-economic standing. Considering Salami’s reputation, nothing less is expected as he brilliantly lived up to his character.
Characterisation is a major winning element of the movie, for example Bimbo Thomas (Nikky) and Eniola Badmus (Busty) successfully mimic the mannerisms of a typical tout in a ghetto. Another scene expertly handled occurs a few minutes into the film.There is a quick transition from the ghetto to the city as Baba Oni Baba is shown filling his glass with beer before Funke Akindele breaks a flower vase in the city, thumbs up to the editor. Eniola Badmus of ‘Jennifa’ fame also interpreted her role what with her diction and mannerism. Of interest is the clever twist introduced to the plot with the sudden replacement of Ayomide with her ghetto-based twin sister, Lefty,this left lots of people in suspense.
Rated 8/10
The climax of the movie is easy to locate while the suspense comes to play after Ayomide’s character suddenly goes missing and Lefty takes centre stage. One scene you may not forget in a hurry though dirty is the ghetto toilet scene. The girls take turns to relieve themselves and later turn the faeces into little bowls to go and throw at some rival ‘cream/aristo’ chicks. Stingomania artiste, Baba Nee also did a good job on the soundtrack as it is totally ‘ghettoish’!.Yeah you just have to appreciate the camera works in the ‘yo mama battle scene’ where Lefty and her crew display Yoruba jabs that gets you laughing.
The movie subtitling was good and surprisingly had good English ,not the expected the Yoruba English translation which generally tints lots of Yoruba movies .The movie also explored themes of pure love even in the ghetto. The final scene where the twins were shown seated on the same bench, facing each other was brilliant and very convincing. So was the part where they both stand up and walk towards the door.
Riding on the success some of the films Akindele has made in the past, she is fast establishing herself as one artist to watch out for. ‘Omo Ghetto’ is didactic, entertaining and worth seeing a second time.
