A lot has been said and written about Blessing Egbe’s movie and there is no denying the fact that many were dying to get more than a glimpse of it especially in the last few weeks. That dream eventually came to pass sometime penultimate week when it premiered and here comes a look at the content and features of the movie so as to establish if is just all about hype or if the movie’s high rating is really deserved.
Two Brides and a Baby is a delicately-constructed tale of an about-to-be-married couple hit with the sudden and largely unexpected arrival of an ex of one of them, who threatens not only to tear the event apart but is surreptitiously playing all concerned in the issue against each other. The movies begins with Ugwu (Chelsea Eze) and Ketche (Keira Hewatch) who are expecting the two most important young men in the immediate plans they have at the moment to show up. The two men turn out to be Kole (O.C Ukeje) and Maye (Okey Uzoeshi) and it is also established that both pairs of young men and women are friends, with the imminent wedding ceremony of the handsome Kole and beautiful, dark-skinned Ketche being the task they are soon bound to have at hand. Soon, the other people needed to make the gathering complete finally arrive and they get to work at the wedding rehearsals but then, a shocker they were not prepared for in any way, suddenly occurs. Ama (Stella Damasus) casually walks in, instantly recognised by the about-to-be-married Kole, the woman returns the favour and there is, all of a sudden, an immeasurably huge crisis that must be managed at the wedding rehearsal sessions. With the two instantly recognising each other as such, it becomes known that there is more than meets the eye between them, either in the past or present. Kole, calling his friend who is also to act as his Best Man, Maye, aside, does not need to reveal the fact that Ama is his former object of love. They both seem to have the knowledge of that one, but what Kole is dying to find out at that point is how in the world, Ama could get to come to, of all places, the venue of his wedding rehearsals when the weeding proper comes up just the next day . In his desperate search for answers, Kole recalls Maye speaking with somebody on the phone and inviting the person over to the venue and thinking of probably having being set up, he confronts his friend. Maye, however, handles the intricate matter well, swearing to his friend that it is not the case as he only invites a female friend, not knowing she knows or could ever be associated to Ama, let alone come with her there. The coincidental happenings are thus turning awkward and Ama paints the picture well by revealing the facts to her friend who is already wondering what is going on at the time. While outside, she says Kole still loves her because of the way he looks at her which she says is due to the depth of what she believes they still share. But just as the two ladies are to turn to go back in after ending the discussion, they notice Ketche, the bride-to-be, standing behind them, having heard most of what is already said. In Ama’s account, she and Kole used to date, having met in Abuja sometime in the past, hey even got engaged to show how far they had gone until Kole abandons her but the ring of engagement given to her by Kole, is still proudly displayed by Ama. To her, she now believes what Kole said back then while giving the ring to her: that is destiny that has brought them together and although it is just a day to Kole’s wedding to another woman, she is ready to seek revenge for the man’s wrongdoing. Deji (Kalu Ikeagwu), Kole’s older cousin, is married to Ene (Blessing Egbe) and although they usually have their own problems, soon get caught up in the happenings around them especially with Ene also being Ketche’s friend. Back to Kole and his bride-to-be, the case is getting worse by the hour because as a result of how it turns and what she has heard, Ketche walks out of the wedding rehearsals, leaving it inconclusive and Kole’s attempt at propitiation towards Ama, through Maye cuts no ice. The vengeance-seeking woman tells Maye to tell his friend to confront her and stop being a weakling. To take it all to a feverish pitch, Ama calls Ketche via the phone and as the two women, who of course see themselves as rivals, square up to each other, the truth about Kole having dumped Ama because she is pregnant comes out, but only to the audience. This expectedly polarises the cinema audience, with many women siding Ama and many of the guys sticking with Kole but another twist is soon unleashed as Ama says there is a baby after all and she is ready to undergo a DNA test. The fast-paced and forceful train of the movie continues with Kole eventually going face to face with Ama, asking her why she is out to destroy his life. While they are at it, Ketche calls Kole’s phone and it is Ama that hastily answers the young man’s phone, rushing to explain to the waiting bride that Kole is too exhausted to pick the phone. If you think this is where the twists and turns of this movie ends; then you would be getting all really wrong as it seems unending as far as what can easily be described as a straightening out of the conflict is concerned. In an infinitely engaging manner, a meeting of the three men caught in the puzzle is added to the unfolding of events while the women are split into formations of two and one. The movies impresses on almost all the scales with an in-depth interplay of the emotions, decisions and indecisions circling all into a twirl of misunderstanding. Blessing Egbe, producer of the movie but who joins the party with playing the role of Ene, deserves a high-rising shout of commendation. She put in a really fine piece of acting especially with her mannerisms as a wife and features of a gist-loving, women-defending typical Nigerian woman who is a feminist without knowing it. The flashback technique is also masterfully used, putting some areas that would otherwise have been taken for granted, into perspective but it was still not overused. The director of photography also deserves commendation for the breathtaking way Ama comes into the church when the wedding proper is on, igniting a sensuous feeling of excitement mixed with both fear and expectation in the in the thrilled audience. The chronology of the scenes as well as the story is also on point, this is brought home especially at the peak of the conflict when the issue of Maye and Ugwu, who have been engaged for three years without anything close to marriage, flashed across. One of the areas of strengths of Two Brides and a Baby, ably directed by no less a director than Teco Benson, lies in the well-done screenplay and that is not to say any other part is taken for granted. One actress that definitely does not take anything for granted is Stella Damasus and for this one, she delivers again. Same goes for Keira Hewatch (who was recently awarded Revelation of the Year at Best of Nollywood awards), Kalu Ikeagwu, emerging Chelsea Eze and Okey Uzoeshi also. The movie is currently running at the cinemas and there is no better way to feel its pulse than to get a view or more.
