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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Film Review of DAISY

I have just seen this awesome movie, directed by Nigeria's Bond Emeruwa. It is called DAISY; shot in Ghana and Nigeria.

DAISY is a moving family drama, centred around two families - Ani and Appiah. These are Nigerian and Ghanaian families.

The Appiahs had lived in Nigeria and gone back to Ghana. And before they left, Mrs Appiah had a child at a certian hospital in Lagos and the child was a girl.

The Anis are still in Lagos. Yes, Mrs Ani is actually a lecturer in the Engineering Department of some university here in Lagos, and her husband too. But, the truth is that their daughter, Daisy is an underperforming student, which is the reason why her father, angrily, calls her, a 'nincompoop', when she is asked to withdraw from the department. On this day, we see the emotions displayed by Olu Jacobs, who plays the role of Daisy's father. That scene keeps replaying in my head. I've been through such moment before. And my father had stood that way, but, what my father didn't do was to call me a nincompoop. So, Daisy's father (not Olu Jacobs now!) actually goofed. Such venom could be mistaken and yes, if a father begins to sound way unkind to his daughter, suspicions might arise.

Daisy refuses to withdraw. She has passion for music. "She is busy running around with drop-outs," her mother says. She wants to be an artiste. Her eldest brother detests that and tries to punish her by lying against her to their father when her friend, the musician, in whose music video she has featured, comes to the house to see her.

For the most part, Olu Jacobs adds so much maturity to the level of his delivery. He knows when to hit the audience. He is sober, but at the same time, funny and appeals to anyone seeing his movie for the first time. Each scene is relevant to the heart of the story and connects properly. The mood of every scene is aptly and beautifully handled with the soundtrack. And if Bond Emeruwa had not directed this film, it may not have been as electrifying as it is right now.

Back to the story: Daisy's father begins to doubt the paternity of his daughter: "No member of my family will be an illiterate." That is what he says and that line for me is so unforgettable. If being a musician and dropping out makes one illiterate and Daisy's father thinks no member of his family would behave like that, then doubting the paternity of his daughter isn't the best option. However, that is how the story sets.

Now, we are besieged with emotional scenes that made me weep. Daisy's mother is shocked when her husband comes home and shows her a DNA report that contradicts the paternity of Daisy. Here is where the story really begins.

What I like more about the story, is the flow. It is deep, touching and beautifully told. It is one of those movies you finish watch and you go home and say to yourself, 'Nollywood hides talents."