Director Daniel Oriahi did well by putting together the team behind A Ghetto Love Story, a new Nollywood movie written by Basketmouth and Victoria Eze.
The movie stars Dibor Adaobi, Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha, Dorathy Bachor, Basketmouth, Jude Chukwuka, Adokiye Horsfall, Chimezie Imo, Efe Irele, Femi Jacobs, Bethel Njoku, Akah Nnani, Wale Ojo, Ehizojie Okoeguale, Beverly Osu, Patience Ozokwor and Vandora Vanessa Williams, to mention a few.
A Ghetto Love Story is about the love between Obinna, portrayed by Akah Nnani, and Stella, portrayed by Beverly Osu, a young couple challenged by poverty, crime, and the harsh realities of their environment. Their love is tested by family pressure and the desire for dreams capable of tearing them apart.
One thing I like about the direction of the movie is how it started from what is supposed to be the middle before viewers were given the background of what they just saw.
At first, I didn’t like the choice of Akah Nnani for the role of Obinna, a ghetto boy. But along the way, I grew into accepting him and overlooked his Ajebota look. As for Beverly Osu, she sure knows how to transform herself from being a model to looking haggard. I remember saying the same thing about her in Oloture: The Journey. So definitely, she wore the right look that portrayed her as a ghetto lady. Believable acting was displayed by Dorathy of BBNaija, while Patience Ozokwor reminded us of why she’s a legend.
The locations used in the movie are fit for the story. Anyone who has never been to a ghetto before can get a glimpse of what such areas look like and also the lifestyle and culture they come with. The interior scenes are good, especially the room where Stella’s friend thought $5,000 was sent to her by her boyfriend.
I think Nollywood needs to stop indicating that a girl is pregnant by making her rush away from people’s presence to vomit. That style is played out. How about showing her using a pregnancy strip? The scene where Stella rushes to vomit is part of a few other scenes that make the movie somewhat predictable.
Let’s talk about the lighting of the night scenes; they are awesome. I like that orange hue was used to light up the faces of the actors while teal was used to light up certain areas of the scenes. This created a complementary color scheme. However, I don’t think the color grading is up to the Hollywood standard displayed in A Song From The Dark, a new Nollywood film starring Nse Ikpe-Etim.
This movie is recommendable to intending couples as it shows that love relationships are not a bed of roses. It sheds light on some of the challenges one should expect to encounter in relationships and also why patience is required during such challenges. I rate the movie a 7/10 because of the choice of actors who delivered good performances, leaving me entertained. A Ghetto Love Story is worth seeing.
