The first thing that drew my attention to the Nollywood movie; SYMPHONY was D’Banj. I was like, D’Banj was made to act in a movie? Let’s see if it will become a disaster or a good one. I had little expectations.
Nollywood movie SYMPHONY is music-centred, showing us the different struggles of upcoming musicians. The story focuses on Slade, a young undergraduate and upcoming music artist who had only his grandma as his only family. But, life seemed to smile at him after he met Lolita, who introduced him to the biggest talent manager.
Despite all hurdles, he was signed, and his career grew really fast until he lost his grandmother. After that, he couldn’t continue on his tour, and it seemed like his career was about to end. Did that end his career, or was he able to get himself back up? Are they more tragedies to come his way?
Guess you’d have to find these answers when you see the movie.
I loved the storyline of Symphony, and although a little bit of deep research would have made it a masterpiece, it wasn’t a bad attempt at all. The writer wanted to speak about the hidden troubles of an upcoming artist; to be honest; we got the message. However, the problem with the plot of SYMPHONY is that it was obvious the writer wasn’t interested in depth. There were many unanswered questions, making one wonder if the writer forgot about these subplots. For instance, what is the major beef between D’Banj and Efa Iwara? Nollywood writers actually need to understand that the subplots are just as important as the main plot. Don’t ruin a potentially good movie due to lack of effort.
Considering the goal of SYMPHONY is to focus on music, I must admit that the songs were sweet and apt. Although I would have preferred more music was infused into it, the choice of songs was beautiful.
There’s nothing much to say about the directing because there wasn’t anything special about it. It was a good watch, no doubt, and for a fact, the crowd scenes were neatly done. The editing and infusion of social media platforms are also a good one.
I don’t know how to feel about the acting because it seemed like there were two sets of actors; the very good and the very bad. Those who played the minor roles had a way of annoying us with their wack acting. Like. What is that, please?
Special shout out to Sandra okunzuwa who played her role super well. The synergy between her and her dad, Kalu Ikeagwu was so real and natural. You will almost believe that’s her dad in real life. Efa Iwara played his part really well too. Other actors like Iya Awero, Oga Latin and Jackie Appiah expectedly did well. The lead actor, Slade, played by Kaleb Iyoha, was just a fair actor. But, his acting growth was obvious in the film as he improved with each scene.
As for D’Banj, I have mixed emotions. It was his first time acting, and he didn’t do badly at all, but then, it seemed more like he was being D’banj and not an actor (that is expected, though). But then, was there a reason D’Banj was used? Because he is clearly not an actor. Anyway, it was sweet watching him on TV.
In all, Symphony was not a bad watch, and it will get a 7/10.
