Movie Review: Adire

Adire is an ambitious story about showing that nobody is above redemption and that love is always around the corner.

Adire is an ambitious story about showing that nobody is above redemption and that love is always around the corner. It is also a story of sisterhood and virtue in sexiness.

The movie stars Kehinde Bankole, Femi Branch, Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi, Ifeanyi Kalu, Yvonne Jegede, Yemi Blaq, Ibrahim Chatta, Adebola’ Lizzy Jay’ Adeyela, Kelechi Udegbe, Damilola Ogunsi, Tomi Ojo, Mike Afolarin, Layi Wasabi, Idowu’ Iya Rainbow’ Phillips, Onyinye Odokoro, etc.

Synopsis

Well, the premise of the movie is a nice one. Asari/Adire (when did she decide to change her name? na so-so plot holes full this movie!) is a prostitute who, after stealing a lot of money from her boss, relocates far away from the madness of the city to a sleepy village known for its pious women and their promiscuous husbands.

As expected, she becomes a hit with the men who fantasize about her. Meanwhile, their wives, feeling threatened, shed their cloaks of initial hostility and are finally forced to ask her the secret to her sex appeal, which she shows.

Adire subsequently finds love with a widower who feels alive only when he is with her. However, all these do not go down well with the judgmental, control-freak pastor’s wife, who thinks that Adire is clawing her way into the church and her loyal flock is slipping from her.

Meanwhile, Adire’s former boss is also looking for her to answer for her crimes of theft and elopement.

Chaos ensues.

Thoughts

Adire is an okay movie, but there were so many things I didn’t understand.

Plot Holes

The plot holes in Adire are embarrassing to think about.

When exactly did Asari manage to pack such a shitload of belongings after stealing Captain’s money? And it was not clear if he was her boss, pimp, boyfriend, or captor.

Nothing is clear in the movie at all.

Poor Chemistry Between Characters

The entire theme of teenage pregnancy is not explored enough, and we can’t even feel any chemistry from the actors. Funlola Aofiyebi is constantly squeezing her face like she swallowed a lime, the same with Femi Branch. That is not acting.

Lizzy Jay and Kelechi Udegbe were making a lot of noise and not saying anything. In all his scenes, Mike Afolarin has a look on his face that says ‘I’d rather be in my room playing video games’. Tomi Ojo looked like she was forced to be in the movie, and she had a sad face all through. I would also look sad if I had to act alongside Funlola Aofiyebi. Ifeanyi Kalu… I don’t even understand. He was talking and acting like a lost puppy! It is like they were all given different directors to mismatch the acts.

The Good: Kehinde Bankole and Yvonne Jegede

But Kehinde Bankole acted her heart out in this movie! She had all the potential to single-handedly carry this movie to a great height if only she were given a better director. A good actor in the hands of a bad director will always drag a film down.

Another act I was impressed by was Yvonne Jegede; her facial expressions took me out. Something powerful happened between these two women, and I could see and touch the chemistry between them. I hope they leverage this and become lifelong friends, even beyond the screen and this movie.

Cinematography

The cinematography in Adire is impressive, and it seems that Nollywood has finally found a way to make crisp movies with the colors, costumes, and makeup.

Every production aspect was well thought out, except the storyline, which, I will say, was not that hopeless. It just needed more work.

Lessons From Adire

Adire portrays self-righteous religious leaders as hypocrites who should embrace those perceived as sinners with the love of God instead of judging them from afar.

There is nothing wrong with dressing sexy for your man, and this movie told us that. Although Adire movie reinforces the archaic belief that men cheat because they don’t get enough at home, at the end of the day, the power of the ‘miracle bra’ is not in the bra itself but in the powerful effect of packaging and the newness of the wives in their husband’s subconscious.