DEJA VU

DEJA VU: A Chip Off The Old Block, A Cliche Storyline That Fails To Deliver A Stellar Performance.

Deja Vu is out on Netflix, and has been met with mixed reactions. The English-Yoruba mix movie was released in the cinemas last year with Lateef Adedimeji and Adebimpe Adedimeji taking lead roles.

The movie takes us through the story of a couple dealing with the issue of paternity fraud. Although the DNA proved that the children weren’t for the husband, the wife insists she has never cheated on her husband. But, expectedly, the husband and the family don’t believe her, and they ask that she swears an oath with their deity, whom they think would give instant judgment.

To their shock, nothing happens to her, but then, it was still a fact that the children aren’t for her husband. So the question then is; If she didn’t cheat and the child is her child, how did she get pregnant for another man? The film centers around unraveling this mystery.

First, I’d like to say that Nollywood has raised the dyke of recent and any contemporary movie production is just expected not to fall below a certain level in plot, filming, acting and overall production, and well, we appreciate that.

For Deja Vu, I most likely was able to tell the predictable end of the movie from the fourth scene. It looked like one of the regular home videos we used to watch but shot with some present packaging, and yet looked poorly done. The storyline isn’t just bare. It is mostly unbelievable. Should we say the writer was trying to point out that strange happenings are mostly unbelievable? Well, a believable story or not, the plot was bare, with no extra effort to add twists, high moments and even low moments to it. More efforts should be put into writing Nollywood stories that are projected with so much hype.

The directing wasn’t necessarily bad, especially for a plot like that. However, one will expect that even if these details can be ignored for normal home videos, they would at least do better for a Netflix standard. Why would a crew member be showing in a scene? Did the director or editor miss that part? Or did they think we wouldn’t notice it? No problem. Regardless, one has to acknowledge the pace of the film. There weren’t so many long or unnecessary scenes, and that’s a plus.

The acting is one good thing that happened to the Nollywood movie, Dejavu. The actors are undoubtedly good, from Adedimeji Lateef, to Adebimpe Adedimeji to Yemi Blaq. For a fact, every single actor in the movie did a good job. If not for anything, they made it an okay watch.

The Cinematography wasn’t bad either but the DOP should be sanctioned for allowing his crew member to show inside one of the scenes. Beyond that, it wasn’t bad at all. The make-up and costuming weren’t bad either, at least these can give us happy moments for this

The top cast in this are:Lateef Adedimeji, Adebimpe Adedimeji, Yemi Blaq, Mojisola Adebanjo, Omotunde Adebowale David, Toyin Afolayan, Oluwasunkanmi Akanni, Toyin Alausa, Fisayo Amodemaja, Jumoke Samuel

The movie was directed by Elijah Tolulope Rotimi and produced and distributed by FilmOne Entertainment.

Star Performer(s)– Lateef Adedimeji and Adebimpe Adedimeji

Can-do-better Performer– Nil