”Laide’s Note” Movie Review by Ajibare Abioye

By Ajibare Abioye

It’s interesting that “Laide’s” has the same letters as those the movie seems directed to – ladies. Whether that was intentional or not, this movie is rather amazing on many levels.

I spent a good number of hours writing this review because there’s so much done well here – from the story by Ife Grace Dada, to the directing by Chioma Chukwulotam (Chylotam), the acting by everyone and the creative use of the Wipe transition. There’s a lot to learn from the movie, and many more to praise it for. It is the story of Laide, a Christian lady who believes that God has spoken to her about the man she would get married to – Williams. Meanwhile, Williams (Fiyinfolu Okedare [Gbemi 2019]) has been led to her close friend and roommate, Folake, who eventually accepts his proposal. For this, as well as the family pressure mounting, she gets engaged to a “nice” unbeliever in Akin (Olatundun Moses [Gbemi 2019]), a decision she later regrets.

The main character here is Laide (Aanu Kolade [The Manager 2016, Oppressed 2016]) and she is joined by her friends, Yemisi (Omolara Ayoola [The Counsellor 2018, 1 in 50,000 2019]), Folake (Chioma Chukwulotam [The Ignition 2016]), and Deborah (Tobi Adepoju [Gbemi 2019]). Some of my favourite scenes are the ones that have the four of them in it. Their discussions are all natural-sounding; the dialogue did not seem memorized in any way. We could almost suggest that they are friends in reality. Every other cast, from the guys, the street girl, to the mothers, played their parts very well. (Look out for the slap scene, lol!).

Aanu Kolade comfortably and excellently plays her Laide role in the movie; she shows as much as is possible every aspect of Laide we’d need in order to understand her character. She is a leader in every way because she brings to the screen the best of two worlds – prose and drama. We are able to hear some of her thoughts (a method mostly peculiar to prose) through voice-over, and when this isn’t the case, she voices her thoughts, recording them on her phone. Her actions also speak volumes and make her the perfect person to have played this role.

Aanu Kolade comfortably and excellently plays her Laide role in the movie; she shows as much as is possible every aspect of Laide we’d need in order to understand her character. She is a leader in every way because she brings to the screen the best of two worlds – prose and drama. We are able to hear some of her thoughts (a method mostly peculiar to prose) through voice-over, and when this isn’t the case, she voices her thoughts, recording them on her phone. Her actions also speak volumes and make her the perfect person to have played this role.

The soundtrack, though not original or extravagant, as appropriate. In fact, when we hear Cory Asbury’s rendition of Reckless Love as the movie fades out, we’re tempted to give an ovation for such an awesome movie. Bar a few discrepancies in continuity and the categorization of some dialogue as ‘Playful talk’, ‘Friends playful chat’ or ‘Joyful reunion’, the editing was on-point. The inconspicuous start of end credits was creative, such that you’d have to go back to the last scene to see who the writer, director and executives producers are. The make-up is also commendable, especially the way Mummy Adekoya (Adebomi Olla) was made up to look younger.

I’m quite certain that this movie will speak to many people, for I know that Laide is a reflection of many sisters out there today. While she says she’s sure Williams is her man, she manages to convince herself, as well as the audience, of that. She says she had a “good feeling…The stirring was sudden, sweet, supernatural”. Obviously, we now see that feelings are not enough; you have to be sure it’s God speaking, and not your feelings. On the other hand, Folake’s words are in the line of “I perceive God talking to me about this brother and the truth is I like him a lot…I just want to be sure God wants me to do this…” Folake acts as a perfect foil for Laide; she gives a true model that Christian sisters can emulate. The key here is sincerity; something that Laide lacked seriously.

The Bible tells us how deep our hearts are (Proverbs 20:5) and how deceptive they can be (Jeremiah 17:9). From the moment she fell in love with Williams, Laide had concluded that he was meant for her. She did not pray “to be sure God wants her to do this”, she didn’t tell any of her close friends, not until Folake first opened up to them. She wasn’t sincere with herself, sincere enough to admit she was being too forward and that she wasn’t really seeking God about Williams, or even Akin. She was unnecessarily secretive, even to her godly company of friends. Yemisi’s story and caution should have been enough to put Laide back on the right track but it didn’t. This shows that ultimately, we as individuals still have a big part to play in deciding what choices we make in our lives.

One great thing about Laide’s Note is that even from the beginning of the movie, it was set up to have a sequel. Kayode’s (Tobi Olumuyiwa’s [House on Fire 2016, Caged 2018]) smile to her in the first fellowship meeting eventually meant something at the end; I’m sure not many people would have seen that coming. Surprisingly, she eventually gets married to him, and as if she could hear the audience’s surprised gasps, she looks into the camera and declares that how she ended up with Kayode was ‘a story for another day’. I’m quite sure that if a sequel would be made, it would be titled Laide’s Note: Divine.

I highly recommend this movie, not only for ladies but for every movie lover. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable watching experience.

To watch “Laide’s Note“, visit http://mountzionlatest.com/mz/index.html

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