Since they are both single, I think Rita Dominic and Joseph Benjamin should date already!
They are such a perfect match, they had this wonderful chemistry between ’em in the newly released movie, Iyore which I got to watch yesterday (twice) and today (once) and ama definitely see it again tomorrow (downloaded it from Iroko TV)…yea, the movie was that great and enjoyable!
Iyore means “The Return: A Life After Life.”
It was shot in Nigeria, and stars Rita Dominic, Joseph Benjamin, Okawa Shaznay, Paul Obazele, Yemi Blaq and Bukky Wright.
Story:
| The life we lived here on earth has been lived by our ancestors, lineage stories reoccur from generation to generation, it is a circle we live not remembering who we were in our past world, it is all reincarnation. |
Iyore tells the story of a life after life…a circle that we live not
remembering who we were in the world before, a mythical tale set around
the ancient city of Benin kingdom, Edo state of Nigeria.
It
explores a tragic love story centered on the rich culture of
pre-colonial Benin.
There is the aged lovers, Osarugwe and Eweka, (Rita Dominic and
Joseph Benjamin), then in a series of flash back scenes, the origins of
their romance is traced to when big haired Osarugwe was a young wife,
teaching History at the local high school, and married to Ovie (Yemi Blaq).
Both Eweka
and Osarugwe were childhood sweethearts and now, Eweka resurfaces and
wants back into Osarugwe’s life. Custom dictates otherwise though and he
is expected to marry a princess from a neighboring Yoruba kingdom
(Okawa Shaznay).
When School Teacher Osarugwe (Rita Dominic) begins to teach her class
about the historical tales and conquests of the Benin Empire, she opens
up the door to a love story surrounding one of the three sacred virgins
of the great Benin, Amenze (Okawa Shaznay) and Edosa (Desmond Walter).
Amenze, a virgin maiden whose fate is to be buried alive with the
King once he has died is holding a secret that could destroy her and the
sacred traditions of the Kingdom forever.
In order to avoid the mortification, she escapes the Kingdom along
with her lover Edosa. Their escape causes an uproar, which leads to a
series of battles between kingdoms and kings.
What I loved about the movie:
Narrative: The narration was clear, even though it took a while before i could understand what was happening cos there were so many events (Past, present and future) happening all at the same time.
Costume: Thumbs up, on point! The costumes are striking; the dialogue is replete with
countless proverbs.
Sound: Background music and sound track was super good!
Brought out all my emotions: The hilarious scenes made me laugh, the romantic scenes made me giggle, the sad scenes made me cry, the movie was a blend of emotions!
Casting: Rita Dominic, Joseph Benjamin, Paul
Obazele, Okawa Shaznay, Yemi Blaq etc were good in interpreting the roles
assigned to them. It has been a while I saw Paul in such a role and I
must say he was good.
Rita was fantastic, Okawa, the beautiful bae who played three doppleganger roles…i wanna see her in more movie, she is good!
Joseph was
splendid, i loved his calmness/gentleness/meekness and the way he picked his words one by one.
Yemi was awesome, his voice, body built and acting was superb…the entire cast was great.
Words: The flow and choice of poetic lines in the movie was apt. I loved how they used beautiful proverbs all through.
Some lines/Scenes I loved:
When Ovie (Yemi Blaq) asked Osarugue (Rita Domini) ‘Why are your lips so cold’
When Azuwa (Joseph Benjamin) told Osarugue ‘I know you love me as much as I do, why are you holding back, just let go’
When the Oba (Paul Obazele) told Azuwa “Then
my son, i would advise you to go back to your childhood friend and take
back your heart from her, bring it back to this palace”
The scene
where Ovie was challenging Osarugue asking her if she was in love with Azuwa.
When Ovie told Osarugue ‘I swear on my mother’s name that I will kill you and go to jail with a smile on my face and a song in my heart.’
The little man who showed Azuwa the direction to Osarugue’ house was so funny!
The scene where Ajoke (Okawa Shaznay) slapped Azuwa, mehn!
Errors in the movie:
Osarugue (Rita Dominic) sometimes called (Joseph Benjamin) ‘Eweka’ and at other times, she called him ‘Azuwa’…it was confusing because at some point, i thought Joseph Benjamin was playing two different roles (reincarnation).
The film’s subtitle is poorly done and should be revisited. There
are countless errors in it. When Osarugue asks Ovie why he did not deem it fit to tell her he was travelling, the subtitle reads, dim instead.
The lady diviner says, Strange as it may seem, the gods makes …
(sic) and Rita Dominic is seen with her. When actors fail to voice
their observations on set, the mistakes mar the production and quest
their credibility too even when they are not the ones who directly
commit the blunder! Someone also mentions ‘the crowned prince’ rather than ‘the crown prince’.
How come 2005 cars are used in a film that depicts 19 years ago?
Whereas Ovie’s car could pass for a vehicle common two decades ago, the
same cannot be said of the cars used by the royals.
When the prince’s cousin takes Joke Adekoya into the room, he
mentions being the rightful prince, who was denied of his rights because
of his father’s early demise. At the end of the film, Eweka is said to
have returned to his rightful position right in the presence of his
cousin. The audience is not told that the prince’s cousin lied and so
why is that anomaly not resolved?
As at when the movie ended, I was all teary eyed, thanks to Osarugue 🙁
