Movie Title: Unintentional
Year of Release: 2021
Director: Femi Bamigbetan
Producer: Obinna Okerekeocha
Executive Producer: Bola Atta
Cast: Omowunmi Dada, Efa Iwara, Beverly Osu, Kate Henshaw, Tina Mba, Chioma Okoli, Jess Etim Inyang, TT Temple Uzor, Tobi Bakre, Eso Dike, Frank Donga.
Synopsis
Unintentional is the first feature-length film by RED TV. It’s a romantic drama following the story of Sefi (Omowunmi Dada) and Uzor (Efa Iwara). Imagine being invited to a party only to discover that it is the engagement party of your boyfriend to another woman! This was what happened to Sefi, who had just been posted to Imo State for her youth service. Accepting her fate, she, together with her crazy friend Rosy (Beverly Osu), embarked on a journey to Imo to commence her posting. Not long into their trip, the bus they boarded became faulty and they had to disembark.
On the other side of the story was Uzor, whose parents (TT Temple Uzor and Tina Mba) were pestering to get married. He had just come in for a visit and on his way back his father gave him a package and contact details for a friend’s daughter, in a last attempt at matchmaking. Uzor, on his way back to Abuja, runs into Sefi’s broken down bus and things spark off from there.
Hits
Story
Romantic comedies are always a great choice if told right, and Unintentional has a nice blend of romance and comedy going for it. A case of sending the right text message to the right person which was also the wrong person was a good choice of conflict for the couple to overcome. And the resolution was just right too.
The highlight was Sefi turning out to be the same person that Uzor’s parents tried matchmaking him to.
Costume
Costume was on point! Hip and trendy clothing to match the different characters
Casting
From Omowunmi to Efa to Tina Mba to Beverly Osu and Frank Donga, all round pegs in round holes.
Acting
This was also superb. Omowunmi Dada and Efa Iwara were great, and the chemistry was obvious. Beverly Osu as Rosy delivered brilliantly, she was a much-welcome comic relief. Frank Donga and his multiple personalities and 7k-a-night-suite hotel was also hilarious. His role was on par for what we have come to know him for.
Language
Tina Mba and Efa Iwara used a mix of Igbo and English in their conversations, and this was brilliant and very real. A true depiction of how mother and son conversations go. Seeing the same for Omowunmi and Kate would have been cool too.
Location
For a first feature film, RED TV venturing outside Lagos to shoot Unintentional was a bold move. Though we would have loved to see more parts of the city.
Misses
Story
Some parts of the story were not so realistic. The scene where Uzor stopped to help Sefi’s bus had some missing elements chief of which was that only Sefi and Rosy went with him. In a real life scenario, although some would be skeptical, chances are high that he would be fighting to reduce the number of people who want to travel with him rather than having to spend minutes pleading with Sefi before she agreed.
Also, when Uzor dropped Sefi and Rosy off, he gave Sefi his card asking her to call him. Minutes after, he sent a text message to the number his father gave him which was also Sefi’s number and Sefi immediately knew he was the sender. How? When did she save his number? We were not shown when this happened.
Sound
The sound was very low. Maybe it’s because it’s a YouTube movie, but even with increasing the laptop’s volume to the highest, it was still a strain to hear them clearly.
Music
Nothing memorable. The beat played at Diamond’s birthday party was horrible.
Conclusion
Unintentional is an intentional attempt at filmmaking by RED TV.
