Romance is my favorite movie genre by far. I like meaningful dialogue and dramatic intrigue in my movies, hence my love for period dramas, Christmas romances, and the like.
Unfortunately, this genre is more challenging to pull off than others, as writing unique, compelling romance tales is tough.
Still, tis' the season, and, with my birthday a couple of days away, Christmas In Lagos seemed like something I'd enjoy, so I dived in.
The movie follows three romance plot threads, headlined by a love triangle consisting of Fiyin, Elo, and Yagazie.
On the one hand, Fiyin, who secretly loves her best friend, Elo, is torn between stealing him from his new lover, Yagazie, and planning his marriage proposal to her. On the other hand, Ivie, Fiyin's UK IJGB cousin, meets and falls for a talented guitarist far below her social status.
Meanwhile, Gbemi, Fiyin's widowed mother, is caught between the romantic attentions of two men (another love triangle), one of whom is a billionaire loverboy/playboy who broke her heart decades prior.
The story revolves around these three romances, with all the main characters forced to deeply question their core desires in life about love and passion.
Here's an overview of the main characters in Christmas in Lagos:
A quick scroll through X a few hours after finishing this movie revealed that Shaffy Bello, aka Gbemisola, was indeed trending- no surprises there.
Her performance was accolade-worthy, and her interpretation of the single, successful woman and widow caught between the affectations of two vastly different men was a highlight of Christmas in Lagos.
She had good on-screen chemistry with Wale Ojo, and while RMD's role was slightly more muted than we see in Nollywood productions, the good ol' camaraderie and rapport between old lovers was still very much noticeable in her interactions with him.
Teniola Aladese's depiction of Fiyin was the pick of the bunch. While I, perhaps, gravitated to this character due to relatability (I fell, and am still in love, with my best friend), Fiyin's love for Elo was palpable throughout, and I was pretty disappointed as how things turned out in the end (more on that later).
I was impressed by her devotion to her best friend, even when it was clear that she was losing him. While the mini-disaster toward the end was of her making, I felt sorry for her and thought she deserved some redemption arc rather than being forced to stay second choice from start to finish.
Ivie and Ajani's love story differed from the two love triangles dominating the screenplay. Theirs was the typical rich girl, not-so-rich-boy romance, an unlikely union of two souls from vastly different walks of life.
Ladipoe (Ajani) initially struggled to get his chemistry going with Ivie but gradually grew into it as the movie progressed. While his performance wasn't the best, it was still more convincing than Elo's.
I'm inclined to think that Shalom Chibuiken Obiago (Nelo) was cast into his role purely for looks and nothing else. Never has the center of the affections of two beautiful women been so passive and bland. At times, I felt sorry for Teniola Aladese (Fiyin) at being paired with such a dispassionate character on screen.
His best scene came towards the end of Christmas in Lagos, with an expression of angered outburst proving to be the most animated his character would be throughout the movie's runtime. I think he struggled badly from start to finish. I mean, it's one thing to be oblivious to the feelings of your female best friend. It's quite another to rely on the acting of your on-screen partners to convey the right message to the audience scene after scene.
Agatha, Yagazie, and Fiyin all took turns propping up his scenes, and I'm a bit pissed that he got his happy ending while Fiyin did not. In retrospect, despite limited screen time, Obinna Okenwa (Chisom) would've been much better in the Elo role, typified by his excellent chemistry with Ladi (Tris Udeh), as well as good looks.
While Nollywood has more than hacked costumes, cinematography, and casting, it continues to struggle with plotting, with several question marks around the storytelling of Christmas in Lagos, the latest in a lengthy line of disappointing scripts.
It made no sense that Fiyin saw Elo as a fallback option (even if she admitted it somewhat earlier in the movie). Perhaps I got carried away by her excellent acting (and beautiful face), but I felt she deserved something.
While fixing her mistake was honorable, I can only wonder how humiliating it must've been for her. I spoke to my girlfriend about this particular part of the story, and she replied that I might have been a bit sentimental here, as it's important to always respect the feelings and desires of authors in relationships, even in matters of unrequited love.
Still, I don't wish Elo and Yagazie a happy ever after. Fiyin's a lover girl, and despite the hurriedly woven plot twist with Nasir to justify her official relegation to second place, I hope she finds someone better than the dispassionate Elo.
It's interesting to see how Lagos's opulent southern region has shaped storytelling in Nollywood. While I don't have the hard stats, over the top of my head, I'd wager that more than half of the big Nollywood productions over the last 10 years or so have been set in different locations around Ikoyi, Lekki, Victoria Island, and their elite environs.
The impact of this has been the overuse of scripts that revolve around the lifestyle of the wealthy and little else. If scenes are to be shot on the mainland, e no dey everly pass Fela Shrine. As a former dragonlord, I could recognize the Shrine blindfolded in a dream, and it's become really tiring to see productions rehashing the same locations over and over again.
I understand that there are budget constraint issues and the security implications of shooting in other locations across Lagos and Nigeria as a whole. Regardless, if this trend continues, Nollywood risks falling into a metaphorical quicksand where it depends on limited locations for shooting this specific movie genre.
Grow up, Nollywood!
Perhaps, when we begin to see a wider variety of storytelling without wealth at their epicenter, Nollywood movies will finally take the next big step in its evolution...
Jade Osiberu and her crew totally killed it with the costume designs, makeup, and set design. Despite a few jittery scenes and some weak acting from one of the main characters, Christmas In Lagos has more pros than cons.
It was nice to hear tracks from Adekunle Gold, Bright Chimezie, Ayra Starr, Waje, and even the much-derided Portable in this movie.
Christmas In Lagos is a delightful romance movie with intriguing characters that evoke several pleasant emotions, setting viewers up just right for the festive season.
