Any story can become a masterpiece in the hands of a master story-teller, even if it is one about two women in search of love who find it in an unusual place.
It is also not a difficult task to spot a compelling story. At any point in time, as it unfolds, the common thread through it is that the story-teller knows exactly what to do, what bend in the road to take, and where to stop.
In that regard, a good film can be said to be the same with a well-crafted novel or anything for that matter that is nicely done. It comes complete with suspense and all the other condiments that make a story compelling. It has all the things that keep the targeted audience coming back for more. The result is that there are no loose ends and everything works out perfectly to unravel a faultless closure.
This is the case with Omoni Oboli’s directional debut, Being Mrs Elliot, currently showing at cinemas in the country.
Being Mrs Elliot – part comedy of terror, part romantic comedy – is as telling as it is thrilling. As chance encounters go, two women – Lara Elliot (Omoni Oboli) and Fisayo (Uru Eke) – run into each other as they are running out of town and all hell is let loose. The former is running from a ‘cheating husband’, while the latter from a dead boyfriend that could take her to the great beyond. And even when their journey is truncated by misfortune, the reaction from the audience is laugh-out-loud, no thanks to Imeh Bishop Umoh who plays the driver that ferries Lara and Fisayo.
Action soon shifts to a witch doctor played by comedian, AY (Ayo Makun), and it is as if AY should leave comedy for the movies. Every member of the cast from Majid Michel, who has been paired many times with Omoni, to Lepacious Bose, gives it their all, culminating in the spectacle that is Being Mrs Elliot.
But the thrill and laughter are not the only things the audience will come back for or tell their friends that this film is a must-see. There is also the great cinematography, the quality sound, the crisp dialogue, all which set Being Mrs Elliot above an everyday Nollywood flick. It is no surprise that the nominations have started to come in, and soon this film will begin to take home countless awards.
In fact, the only thing that could be said to be wrong with the film is the commercials that pile up at the very beginning, no doubt to acknowledge the many sponsors who made the four-year project possible.