Story, Director: Willis Ikedum
Cast: Alex Ekubo, Munachi Abii, Segun Arinze, Bayray McNwizu, Isioma Owere
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Runtime: 1hr 40mins
If you think this body-swapping story-line (like in My Wife & I) is over-beaten, then think twice. In Switch, Willis Ikedum (Mummy Dearest) and his near-stellar cast make this production a delight to watch. The film follows a couple stuck in an unhappy marriage that looks set to hit the rocks. Alex Ekubo (as ‘Leo’) played an annoyingly rude office executive, husband, and father, whose air and carriage added up nicely. On a bitter night, falling asleep after another disagreement with his wife, a soul swap occurs and a body switch happens. His feminine representation of a hysterical woman after the incident was beyond hilarious.
Bayray McNwizu (The Visit) played the suffering and smiling housewife whose testimony changed the day she gave an old stranger (Isioma Owere) a car ride. Her switch from submissive to bossy, to getting enraged (at a driver no one would forget in a hurry) was impressive. Unlike Bayray or Munachi Abii (Leo’s flirty co-worker), Isioma Owere gave a performance I found grossly unsatisfying. If it was about being stealthy and appearing out of nowhere, then she gets a thumbs up. But if was her sermon-like dialogue and the lack of any depth whatsoever, then she was regrettably unconvincing. I am unsure if it was the scripted dialogue or the actress’s thoughtful input, but the overuse of “my daughter” was a jab in the gut every time it dropped.
The sound and score (by Michael Ogunlade), colours, and costumes (by Ifan Ifeanyi Michael) were an eye-soothing pleasure. Nothing was out of place and the picture quality was close to perfect. I especially loved the tie on the driver. I also loved how the cameraman (Dickson Godwin) while shooting Leo at his workplace went through two scenes and three locations in one cut. Co-produced by Chioma Willis-Ikedum, this film is a fiercely romantic sequence of rib-wrecking sessions deserving a re-watch.
Switch is rated 7/10.
