Daniel Ademinokan’s ‘Between’ is a fairly good film. What it lacks in actual romance, it tries to make up for with beautiful aerial angle shots and consoling soundtrack.
If you are patient enough, Damasus’ performance, as well as the movie’s narrative of hope and restoration and its very nonromantic resolution, might actually make you smile. But, it takes more than a promising story and good acting to kick off a Hollywood styled romantic film.
At this point, it’s imperative to warn you that the movie currently streaming on YouTube is over two hours long. It tells the tale of a 35-year-old woman who turns to religion after 4 failed marriages and a disastrous breakup.
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The opening scenes introduce Chelsea (Stella Damasus) as a double-dealing character- a divorced freak by night and a marriage counsellor by day.
Unfortunately, the film writer’s attempt to make the Chelsea character less stilted crumbles shortly before the movie hits its climax.
The catastrophe of actors who double as filmmakers not being able to detach themselves completely from the characters that they create is Nollywood’s incoming plague. In EbonyLife Film’s ‘Your Excellency’, first time director, Funke Akindele towed this path. This form of ridiculous narcissism is the reason Ademinokan turned an almost beautiful love story into one filled with religious shenanigans.
In ‘Between’, Chelsea spews Damasus’ views on immigrant language, gender rights and religion. Having bits and pieces of Stella Damasus pop out of Chelsea’s mouth gave rise for more eye-rolling moments than applause.
If Nollywood was the measuring tape for the acting skill of Caucasians, I’d maintain that those folks are horrible actors. In ‘Between’, they become yet another elephant in the room. Each time Damasus tried to take her range a notch higher, her stiff-necked supporting actors were available to drag her back to ground zero
An overview of ‘Between’ brings me to the verdict that asides the movie’s embarrassing lighting, its flaws are forgivable. Also, the entire story should have been captured in an hour and thirty minutes and not two hours.
