By Agbo Favour Amarachi
BROKEN Hallelujah features Bimbo Ademoye, Daniel Etim Effiong, Eso Dike,Princess Obuseh,Moet Abebe, Ebere Uche.
A soul soul searching expedition of love, pain and faith, ‘Broken Hallelujah’ is a movie that talks about Christ even as it integrates normal societal relationships; a movie that shows what it means to be a married Christian couple, that is what it is.
My Diya (Bimbo Ademoye) was crushing on brother Okwudili (Daniel Etim Effiong) the drummer boy while she should be singing praise worship and brother Okwudili returning the crush! Okwudili was also a defender of the universe and his shop razed by fire touched me. Again, it was well done! it was more realistic than having the agbero bribe the justice system, so he is proclaimed guilty. I loved his apology when he made fun of her dressing and makeup during the Pastor’s party; making a dress for her was a befitting apology. And he indicated that the Holy Spirit prompted him to apologize; apt! I know that the ‘Nigerian’ version of the Holy Spirit seems not to convict men especially in relationships & marriages of their wrongs and prompt them to make amends however, He really does. As Christians, He is available to help us be better people all round: spouses, kids, parents, neighbor’s, colleagues, bosses, employees, etc.
And their married life? Spot on. A couple can be Christians and still have a great sex life, excel in their businesses, and have a colorful life notwithstanding the storms of life. Their lives must not be drab, boring with them relating like robots. They also did well to contrast the relationship between the husband (Daniel Etim Effiong) and his partner (Eso Dike) viz a viz the wife & her partner. Evil communication truly corrupts good manners, and I applaud the movie that the husband held on despite his partner’s influence. Even his near encounter with Beauty (Moet Abebe), it was the partner. Contrast to the wife who had Hajia (Bimbo Akintola) to encourage her to keep holding on. I imagine it was someone like the serial baby daddy (Eso Dike); she might have told the wife to try someone else since it was unexplained infertility.
On to Beauty …. ‘Oh Jesus, this is so good’ was truly an escape for daddy wa and I love that he literarily fled the scene; the Bible says flee from temptation. And when his wife caught on, he did not justify himself. He apologized; genuinely apologized! So, refreshing. Yes, his wife’s disobedience and the resulting events instigated him… however, he could have gone to drink; reported her to the Pastorate, the options were limitless. It is also a pointer that ‘we take heed least we fall’. I am sure that if he was asked a week before if he would sleep with beauty, he would have said no. This leads to asking about boundaries; while we can claim that he was professional while measuring 47-inch hips, it could start something that will lead to late night fittings and other wahala.
The Mother in Law’s desperation which resulted in visiting an herbalist was great. I loved that her shortcoming was slipping away for a bit and looking for help outside God than the classic evil MIL troupe. As I earlier wrote, it was great that the herbalist’s staff did not work; that would have been solving a temporary situation with a permanent problem.
The husband praying for the wife and her overhearing him, fantastic!
The wife’s gradual loss of faith, translating to other aspects of her life? Well depicted.
Who else thinks the elderly wise ghost was her mother? Her advice for her marriage made a lot of sense; it takes two to tango. And one cannot but love her reaching out to him since he was stretching his hands, waiting for her to take it. It was fresh that he was the one making the effort and not her as in classic movies. I was lowkey waiting for the other shoe to drop with the husband; it was great that he was even a better husband than boyfriend.
Overall, Broken Hallelujah is a great piece of art work and a realisation that Nollywood is gradually coming of age.
