Black Silhouette: Joke Silva leaves the past for another day
She is about to make history as the first elected female governor In Nigeria, some stories are not meant to be told, will she be celebrated?
As produced and directed by the duo of Paul Alanza and Charles Uwagbai, the movie Black Silhouette ex-rays poverty, prostitution and sexual abuse as it tells the story of Maro Oti played by veteran actress, (Joke Silva) who is about to make history as the first female governor in Nigeria.
Despite her husband’s disapproval she fixes an appointment with internationally acclaimed Biographer Eric Mobumba as played by (IK Osakioduwa) and requests that he writes her memoir.
Eric Mobumba is elated at the opportunity but his excitement however starts to dwindle as Senator Maro’s tale of her past reveals a life of sexual abuse from childhood, prostitution as a teenager and an unresolved murder.
The Biographer sees a woman ladened with guilt and shame from her past, all attempts to dissuade her from telling this bitter and horrific story fails as Maro will not be perturbed, convinced that closure will only come from telling the truth of her very dark past herself.
The movie made a perfect attempt to bring to the for the poverty level obtainable in the country and what an average Nigerian will want to do to survive.
Maro’s battle for survival is a fierce one.
She finds herself thrown against circumstances more than once and she has to look for ways to stay alive and keep up. She grows up to a troubled childhood, loses her love, Tega (Femi Jacobs) and gets introduced to prostitution, all in almost rapid successions.
Starring Femi Jacobs, Jude Orhorha, Ivie Okujaye, IK Osakioduwa, Joke Silva, child actor, David Olamide, Grace Ofre amongst others, the director did a befitting job in balancing the stories with symbols.
Ivie Okujaye, the Amstel Malta Box Office winner, deserves praise for how she carried this film on her backs until the points when she had to pass the baton to Joke Silva’s experience and finesse.
Her fluency in Pidgin English is a joy to behold in the movie, and that was a masterstroke that the director didn’t miss out on because it is difficult to portray prostitution at its crudest in Nigeria without pidgin playing a part.
In all, I can go on and on in discussing the movie as it is worth the time with great effort from all the entire cast and crew of the production and not putting aside the wonderful delivery of veteran actress, Joke Silva and child actor David Olamide. I have no choice than to give a total 10/10 to this movie great.
Mutiat Alli
