By Mava John Joshua
It is assumed going to a correctional facility and retuning as enshrined in section 10 of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019 will serve its intended purpose as planned and stipulated in the laws of the land which includes but not limited to the following that taking custody of all persons legally interned will:
-Provide a safe, secure and humane custody for inmates
-Conducting risk and needs assessment aimed at developing appropriate correctional treatment methods for reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration; implementing reformation and rehabilitation programmes to enhance the reintegration of inmates back into the society
-Initiating behaviour modification in inmates through the provision of medical, psychological, spiritual and counselling services for all offenders including violent extremists, empowering inmates through the deployment of educational skills training programme just to name a few.
This was supposed to be the case for the convicted murderer, Debo (Uzor Arukwe) in this movie after his release from prison and reunited with his wife as seen in a party organised by his wife Kate (Adesua Etomi) despite years of previous physical and emotional abuse before he was jailed.
Debo has just returned home after six years in prison where he was locked up for killing his father, sad though we were not told of the possible cause for which he killed his father and was sentenced to the jail term, it is assumed after his time at the correctional facility we will notice some remorse leading to some changes in his behavioral patterns but rather his outbursts that cause the most worry, also it is rather his cagey, almost reptilian attitude. The suspicions of infidelity and complete distrust.
To show her alloyed happiness, she adorned so gorgeously as if she was about to be wedded and he too comes in well-dressed behind his lawyer and friend David (Chris Attoh) sad though his mother (Tina Mba) was not available to welcome her only son.
Furthermore, after the party we would have assumed that there will be a couples making up in bed after a long absence, but sad to note again Debo’s advances to his wife after the party was rebuffed using having a shower as an excuse, this rejections continue in the name of trying to adjust to new life with him making the movie all the more intriguing and full of suspense.
I see lack of trust between Debo and the wife, as I wander how the marriage was before he went to prison. There is complete lack of synergy between them as a married couple, their life is full of “hidden skeletons” that begs for answers, seems this lack of trust was taking to the prison and she continued with that same apathy and perhaps becomes developed to her lack of affection for him while away, because I believe as the saying goes, “out of sight makes the heart grow fonder” but we see an opposite.
Looking at the business angle, we see rift, competition, lack of synergy and a show of superiority as Debo feels it is his business but Kate believes they started it together from the scratch and she built it to the level and successful state which it is now when Debo was on detention, Debo’s exoteric intentions and thoughts are gearing towards taking absolute ownership as he feels she goofed in one of the businesses when she lost a bid to another company even though he was in the cell then.
Some questions that are begging answers, was Debo also keeping tab on the business while in prison? Was she giving him feedbacks on her every move while running the business? I suppose not, because with her reluctance of wanting him to return to work, the ‘beef’ and them “not seeing eye to eye” I supposed these are issues/questions to be juxtaposed and will require answers on some little details that I see as flaws in this good movie.
Furthermore, begging for answers is the fact that he had to call an ex-girlfriend Bella (Sika Osei) at the core of the movie is comical heartbeat to help become a private investigator to his wife knowing fully well your wife took her place, surely there will be bias in the investigation, at the end what did we see? Because we saw where and how the old “flame” was rekindled should will say its an avenue to rekindle and old flame with his ex?
The movie was Directed by Tope Oshin and Produced by the trio of Joy Aiyegbeni, Chichi Ozoemena and Chinyere Ozoemena.
I will not fail to say his great body physique as noticed by Kate was one of the positives she casually admired in him or was it a kind of insult?
The movie ended with an unexpected twist with Kate outsmarting everyone despite looking very vulnerable to all the parties she played a role as the quiet and loving but calculative wife for being able to outsmart David and the husband.
Not an altogether bad storyline anyway.
