MOVIE REVIEW: The Wildflower: Same old story elevated by appealing cinematic elements

Movie Title: Wildflower

Publication date: April 23, 2023

Director: Biodun Esteban

Execution: 1 hour, 44 minutes

Actors: Damilare Kuku, Deyemi Okanlawon, Toyin Abraham, Sandra Okunzuwa, Zubby Michael, Etinosa Idemudia, Nosa Rex, Imoh Eboh, Kiki Omeili, Eso Dike, Angel Unigwe and Rachel Isaac.

Domestic violence as a theme is not new in the movie world, especially in Nollywood. Many producers have explored these realities countless times in their plots.

Through its plot, Wildflower follows the same old story of women dealing with sexual and domestic abuse. However, the use of sarcasm made a difference.

While exploring the clichéd story of domestic violence, the film mostly used sarcasm to illuminate deep moments in dialogue and character trends. It made for a treat to watch.

Directed by Stephen Biodun, Wildflower tells the stories of two women and a teenage girl navigating the abuse and assault of men around them.

These three women live in the same compound, but their situations are different. Although each of the two takes a stand against their abuse, the results are also different for each of them in the end.

plot

Wildflower begins with the story of an intelligent and entrepreneurial Rolake (Damilare Kuku) who gets a chance to work in a leading architecture firm as an assistant to CEO Gowon Williams (Deyemi Okanlawon).

Rolake stares at Mr. Gowon in worship. He’s overqualified for the job, given his master’s degree in architecture, but he’d rather be an assistant than miss the chance to work for a man he considers an icon.

Unknown to Rolake, Gowon has a dark side. He is a serial rapist. Ignoring the fears of her boyfriend (Eso Dike), Gowon’s inadequacy doesn’t register until he takes advantage of her on a business trip.

On the other hand, Rolake’s neighbor, Mama Adaolisa (Toyin Abraham), suffers domestic abuse at the hands of her husband until one day tragedy strikes and she kills him and runs away, leaving behind her two daughters (Adaolisa and Cecilia) whom Rolake takes care of. take care

While Rolake is on a business trip, Adaolisa also escapes being raped by a sexual predator in the neighborhood, Johntana (Zubby Michael).

Among these events, Rolake was selfless for the girls, even as he dealt with the trauma of his rape. In the end, she decides to seek justice against Mr. Gowon, who is a man who has what it takes to lose everything.

good

The film Wildflower was realistic in exploring the scenarios of ongoing domestic violence and rape issues. it is interesting to see how well it is performed in the scenes.

The story deals with its themes just as finely, without being too serious. It tells a neat story, filled with a little sarcasm that lightens the serious moments.

Conflicts are set up with precision, raising the stakes as the story progresses. Most importantly, he didn’t neglect any component of his plot, particularly the first and second acts of the film.

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I really liked how the rape scenes between Rolake and Gowon, Adaolisa and Johntana were shown at the same time, which has a better effect on the audience.

The casting of the movie was perfect. Most of the cast gave good performances. No one stole any particular scenes though. Also, the cinematic shots were visually interesting and engaging.

Bad

Sometimes too much storytelling in a story can take away from the need to achieve the depth a plot needs.

Wildflower probably would have fared better if it had focused on Rolake alone to explore workplace power imbalances, sexual abuse, and the culture of silence. Other women’s stories influenced the depth of Rolake’s story as a protagonist.

As for the sensitivity of its position, the film overexposes its themes, as if it is not sure whether it is getting its message across enough through actions. This made the film dialogue heavy.

The movie had some unresolved endings. For example, we won’t see what happens to Prince Jimi (Nosa Rex) after his wife dies.

Also, we will never know if Adaolisa’s sister (played by Divine Angel Unigwe), who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after her mother’s death, ever recovered.

The timing would have made sense to do without the loose subplots of Adaolisa’s family, especially since they all don’t connect properly in the end.

Rating: 5/10

Overall, the film carefully managed the way it played out the situations of the attack, without understating them and without completely boring the audience.

It’s streaming on Netflix.