Producer: Moses Inwang And Caroline Danjuma
Director: Moses Inwang
Writer: Moses Inwang And Patrick Nnamani
Cast: Nse Ikpe Etim, Jim Iyke, Anthony Monjaro And Caroline Danjuma
Year: 2016
Obsession is not flattering, it is scary!
So, you meet a girl coincidentally, you save her from danger, feelings flare up from your side, and coincidentally, you keep meeting in places she goes to. You don’t have an appealing face, you look really dangerous and she starts to think that you are stalking her. She gets protection, you move on but she comes back to you after finding out that her relationship was a hoax and you are in fact, the real thing. The only problem with her coming to you is she does it dangerously- she is stalking you and you have moved on.
That is the story in Moses Inwang’s psychological thriller- ‘Stalker’. Nse is Kaylah Lawal, a stylist, she gets attacked by a gang on a late night out at work when her car breaks down. Fortunately, Michael (Jim Iyke) is not too far away, he saves her, in what we can call a “heroic” move. He develops affection for her but unfortunately, she is in a relationship and soon, she starts to think that Michael is stalking her. I mean, everywhere she goes, he is there looking really aggressive and unhappy.
Stalker is a searing, intense movie. A beautifully written psychological thriller that coincidentally has similarities with Hollywood’s “The Perfect Guy” only difference is that now it is the female that is doing the stalking. Nonetheless, it was still different and we can’t always accuse our industry of copying. If we check the time Stalker was shot and when The Perfect Guy was released you will find out that it was in fact, a coincidence, except if they got some inspiration from Obsessed that is where we can scrutinize the writers for lack of originality. Stalker could have been written with less of the excessive scenes that did not add meaning to the movie. It could have hit its mark with fewer scenes and not unnecessarily drag but it did just that and that is where the problem comes from. The scene at the hotel with Micheal and Kaylah was totally unnecessary at this point we already got the message; there was no need for continuous emphasis.
The acting from Nse- Ikpe Etim is always top notch and you would love to see her go crazy here. A woman who starts loving, but is rejected, and turns psychotic as a result of rejection. You will want to see her loose her mind, you will want to see her hold that gun with all the rage in the world and you will want to see how she keeps tabs on Michael.
The best acting in Stalker comes from Jim Iyke though. We have seen him in several similar roles but none is as exclusive as the one he gives in Stalker. His aggressive look was enough acting, even without speaking, it was good enough to get him a restraining order, it was good enough for the tension this film served; his ability to change to the really calm guy is amazing. The film explains the entire meet up with Kaylah as a simple case of coincidence and not that he was after her but his portrayal made it seem like he was following her and that was the goal, to create a man that was unstable but is not unstable after all. The goal was achieved thanks to the incredible acting by Jim.
Caroline Danjuma (Ella) plays Ken’s fiancée, which is where I had a problem, in terms of acting. There was no depth to her character and to her acting, especially with regards to the situation she is faced with – another woman. Maybe, that was how they wanted her character portrayed but when it came to her, I did not enjoy it.
The first scene in the film is perhaps one of the really beautiful scenes among many you will see in this movie. A lot of care was taken in shooting this film. The scene where Kaylah falls from the balcony is another pure magnetic film shooting style. It was incredible! You will feel the energy that was put into shooting that, you will feel the effect the filmmaker wants you to feel. The sound was great. The lighting was great, locations- excellent, shots- delicate and purely artistic. In essence cinematography and directing was a marvellous effort.
Stalker is has great cinematography and directing was a marvellous effort and earns 7/10.
Rejoice a movie enthusiast, who feels Art is inspiring, it makes her think and she believes it is the way forward. You can check her out on Facebook: www.facebook.com/joicesamuelabutsa
