I was few seconds into watching the trailer for Ekene Som Mekwunye’s upcoming film Light in The Dark when I realised that I didn’t know what the story was about. Then I heard Kalu Ikeagwu’s character say lightly to Rita Dominic’s character: “Let’s celebrate East meeting West.” To be honest, I was thinking he was going to say “Let’s make love under the sunset!” and I was already preparing myself for an eye roll. Though a cheesy line, Kalu Ikeagwu can say anything and make it sound good and believable. And this was just after Joke Silva, who is playing a figure of authority in Rita Dominic’s fictional life, says to her in quiet frustration: “Why can’t you find a Yoruba boy?”
Under 10 seconds, I had already figured out the film, and I briefly existed in a bubble of self-congratulation because not everyone has the powers of deduction. If the trailer for Light in the Dark feels familiar though, it’s because you have seen a movie like it over a 100 times. And, trust me, more are merrily still coming your way. From the trailer, Light in the Dark is already burdened by the marriage theme, and, in this case, an inter-tribal relationship. Nothing cinematically novel about that. But my only concern is Rita Dominic, looking helpless and quietly traumatised by something in the closing shots. Marriage? The nature of her relationship in the film? And didn’t she just play a woman who was marriage-shamed in Bound?
Light in the Dark flaunts a big cast: Ngozi Nwosu, Cool FM’s Mannie, Kiki Omeili, Nonso Odogwu, Abimbola Ademoye, Big Mickey, Prince Unigwe, Angel Oyinyechi, Doddy Ability, Richard Kanayo Mekwunye, Maxwell Ihuoma and Marie Awolaja. Feels like I have just listed the inhabitants of a small village. No release date for Light in the Dark yet. But check out the trailer below.
When Bernard Dayo isn’t writing about pop culture, he’s watching horror movies and reading comics and trying to pretend his addiction to Netflix isn’t a serious condition.
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