Trailer Review: Stephanie Okereke-Linus’ Dry
Hello again and I hope you are enjoying the Nollywood offerings of 2014 so far. Just last week, Rukky Sanda premiered her latest movie – Gold Diggin. One movie I cannot wait to watch (there are quite a few of them) is Stephanie Okereke-Linus’ Dry.
Even though official trailer is not out, the unofficial version which was released last year in the heat of the ‘Child Not Bride’ debate is one of the best trailers to come out of Nollywood in recent times. Having followed Okereke-Linus’ work over the years, it is clear to see that the woman has really upped her game. Well done!
A recent trend in Nollywood is that we have a number of producers embracing ‘agenda’ movies and sacrificing the tenets of good filmmaking at the expense of a message. For me, the mark of a true artist is in balancing the two. In the unofficial trailer of Dry, Linus-Okereke does not hold back in putting burning issues of rape, child marriage, obstetric fistula and the societal stigma that comes with it in our face.
She does not just tell us about them, she shows us through the character of a young girl who is forced into an early marriage with devastating results. This girl as we discover represents 1 in every 10 women in Nigeria that suffer complications after childbirth as a result of obstetric fistula. The saddest thing is that she could be your child.
If I had to summarise the effect of this trailer in one phrase; it would be – emotional connection. I believe all the characters from Linus-Okereke to Liz Benson Ameye who doctors are trying to make a difference in the lives of young women. I believe a nameless male doctor who agrees that his duty is to save lives but “did not sign a vow of poverty.”
I see the health care centre burnt down and my heart goes out to the community. I see girls and women suffering at the hands of their so-called sisters and I can relate with their story. I hear the simple yet ironical request of our protagonist; she says she “wants to be a girl again” and I want to rewind things.
I want her to go back to playing with her friends, attending school, growing up and marrying the love of her life – not the person who paid for her like an item in a grocery store. I never want that girl to be my sister, mother, aunty, friend or even enemy. Nobody deserves to be used and left to Dry up from the inside out.
The review will not be complete if I don’t comment on technique. From the background music to the selection of scenes, the cast and crew deserve two thumbs up. The dialogue interwoven with the text on screen helps to drive the plot forward and engage the viewer. I have most of the information I require including the name of the production company and the chilling statistics. The only thing missing is the names of the actors as they appeared in view but given that this is an unofficial trailer, we can let that slide. Official trailer or not, when will this movie be out? Because I can’t wait!
Verdict –Watch Dry because it is really just that good but if you still need an excuse; it communicates a powerful message in a compelling yet creative way.
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