MODUPE TEMI

Title of Film: Modupe temi (I thank God for my own)

Producer: Saidi balogun

Director: Daniel Ademinokan

Main characters: Omolara Ayoola -Doris Simeon Donald Ayoola - Saidi Balogun

Language: Yoruba

Theme: Married life

Setting/country: Nigeria

Year of production: 2008

Length of film: 1.57.00

Genre: comedy

Reviewer: Akinwumi Adjua

PLOT: A two cast comedy home video, chronicling the home and life of a married couple who always quarrel and never seem to agree on anything.

The movie starts with a soliloquy on both parts, the two couples speaking in different rooms of happier times in their marriage. Donald Ayoola acted by Saidi Balogun is the grouchy and complaining husband while Omolara Ayoola acted by Doris Simeon (AMA award winner for best indigenous actress) is the feisty nagging wife.

The couple drive each other crazy with pranks and antics. Omolara (Doris) in a scene pours a whole bottle of laxative in her husband's morning tea due to a fight the previous night. Donald (Saidi) in turn, after discovering what Omolara did, he pours ground pepper in her body lotion. In another scene Donald makes a phony call to his girlfriend to spite Omolara. Omolara then brings home a car bought in credit and tells Donald that it was bought by one of her lovers.

The film goes on with these pranks till towards the end it is revealed that both their friends have been feeding them lies about each other. They realize that their long standing tradition of "revenge first before explanation” doesn’t lead to a happy home.

SHOTS AND ANGLES: The movie is a mixture of different shots and angles. However the medium shot was more dominant. Preference was made for focus on a main object. There were series of long shots and about one or two extreme long shots where they showed the house in which the couple lived. The angle mostly used was the mid-angle. Subjective angles were also used to show what the actors were looking at, for example the scene where Donald came to look at the new car.

COSTUME: Donald and Omolara in the movie are the average middle class Nigerian, comfortable. They were rightly dressed to suit their roles. Their costumes indicated the normal day to day clothing of such people. The only dress that at first seemed out of context was Omolara’s dress for the wedding towards the end of the film and this was later justified as she said she dressed as such to look “sexy” and gain her husband’s attention.

MAKEUP: They were made up according to the role they performed. The makeup was simple and good.

CONCLUSION: MODUPE TEMI is a great film. The concept of a two cast movie is uncommon and unique. The acting was carried out well. The fact that the film just consists of two people yet it isn’t boring or monotonous says something about the acting skill involved. Saidi Balogun and Doris Simeon were terrific. The scriptwriting is equally rich; it is full of Yoruba proverbs and wise sayings. For example “You must feed properly any sacred cow that will be put up for sale”. The sound tracks fit each scene, the lighting is good. Take for instance the lighting used in the beginning soliloquy which makes them look mysterious and captivates the audience’s attention. In general the director Daniel Ademinokan and the whole production crew did a great job in putting the whole thing together. The film is hilarious and will keep one laughing, Yoruba or not, from the beginning till the end. As with almost all home videos MODUPE TEMI carries a moral message. Love and understanding, love understands all things and bears all things. MODUPE TEMI, a very impressive movie.