The murder mystery genre has not been a strong suit of Nollywood filmmakers. Most of them, especially the mainstream releases, are characterised by wishy-washy and overly straightforward plots. But A Weekend to Forget is a pleasant surprise, although it is not particularly exceptional.
Plot Overview
A Weekend to Forget follows 7 ‘friends’ on a weekend staycation.
A WEEKEND TO FORGET - UCHE MONTANA, ERICA NLEWEDIM, STAN NZE (Full Nollywood Review)
Seven friends go on a weekend getaway and what should be a weekend of fun turns awry when one of them is murdered. The reunion becomes tense as soon as Bem (Neo Akpofure) and his girlfriend Lisa (Uche Nwaefuna) arrive at Ferdy’s (Elozonam) house, Bem is a former cultist who has put their lives in danger in the past. Although Lisa is new to the group she has a history with Shima (Daniel Etim-Effiong), having recently ended an 8-month affair with him and to make matters worse, she is pregnant for him. Also, Lisa discovers through a conspicuous tattoo on star actor Tito (Stan Nze) that he used to be her favourite pornstar, Jayrocka.
The discovery of Lisa’s bloodied and lifeless body in the pool after a brief blackout, with Ferdy being the last to see her alive, leads to the pointing of accusatory fingers from every direction. Tensions rise, the dynamics of their relationships are explored, and secrets are uncovered. Almost every other character has a motivation to kill Lisa. Furthermore, Lisa’s father is a feared crime boss and someone has to pay for her death.
With a well-detailed plot, A Weekend To Forget holds attention. Although it takes some time to get the ball rolling, once it starts, it’s hard not to get invested in finding the killer.
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Cinematic Elements
The story is also accentuated by the cinematography. Even though camera movements are sometimes excessive for the action happening, important scenes are framed well, especially a particular scene that happens in the pool. Also, some scenes feel out of sync with the theme of the film and although we are shielded from the identity of the killer till the very end, the resolution though plausible looks impossible.
Speaking of the camera, the camera work was fabulous - one particular scene involving the pool had some of the best camera work in the entire movie. The camera work may have been amazing, but the continuity was missing the sprinkle actually to make the movie cohesive. It was obvious from certain angles that there were multiple takes.
That this is Ademola’s directorial debut is evident in the way that A Weekend to Forget seldom rises to the occasion in its blockings, save for one harrowing scene in the pool. The director is content to let scenes be carried by the editing and the actors’ varying capabilities. The cinematography, as captured by the industry’s busiest, Barnabas Emordi (The House of Secrets, Hey You!), would rather not get in the midst of the fray, robbing us of potentially immersive experiences - one’s response to the staging in an early champagne popping scene cannot but be a blatant lack of arousal. This lack of confidence and fervour must have carried over into the budget, which is why the mention of the word “billionaire” in a location such as where the movie takes place raises questions of a schizoid disconnect from reality.
Character Analysis and Cast Performance
Whilst the cast of A Weekend To Forget can’t be particularly described as a star cast, it’s a group of well-known faces. The actors, Erica Nlewedim, Uche Montana, Daniel Etim Effiong, Elozonam Ogbolu, Ini Dima Okojie, Stan Nze, and Neo Akpofure, personify their roles well, helped by the fact that most of them did not have to search too far outside of themselves to find their characters.
The actors all do their best to portray their internal turmoils over the murder situation. Daniel Etim Effiong (Collision Course, Still Falling) plays Shima to stolid perfection. He is affable and straightforward in ways that scream of dependability, which renders his bitterness and betrayal colder and more despicable. Ini Dima-Okojie (Blood Sisters, Foreigner’s God) matches and even surpasses him in acting panache as his loving wife. Stan Nze (Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story, The Set-Up 2) both gives and takes delight in his role. Never has anyone brought this much ease and relatability to scenes of mocking disregard. He takes on the mantle of selfishness and becomes an embodiment of scumitude with full-chested gravitas. Squared up against older and more experienced actors, Uche Montana (Love in a Pandemic, Light Hearts) holds her own, infusing her barbs with sufficient venom against the two-faced collective. Not much is required of Elozonam Ogbolu (Sanitation Day, Before Valentine’s) in his role. Still, he approaches it with commendable confidence and zest. When he laughs he laughs, and when he cries, he cries with the elemental fragility of the overwhelmed ajebutter. Less convincing than most is Neo Akpofure (Palava!) playing the despised hanger-on. This is especially sad as, in the absence of a detective, it falls to his character to interrogate the workings of the collective. However, armed with a knife, Neo cannot muster up any menace as he barks at the group who, beyond the contrivances of the script, cannot seem to believe him, either. Somehow, despite his defects, Erica Nlewedim (Devil in Agbada, Hire a Woman) manages to surpass him in onscreen needlessness. Whatever value her acting possesses lies in the abstractionist babble of doing without doing. Every pretence towards acting disappears whenever the camera points in her direction with emotive demands.
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Script and Directorial Debut
In a press release, debutant director Damola Ademola described A Weekend To Forget as a psychological thriller - “a riveting journey through the dark and enigmatic corners of the human mind.” Whilst the actions of the characters in the film are a depiction of how erratic humans can be in unexpected high-stakes situations, they happen as a by-product of the plot progression itself and not the intentional purpose of the film.
The script in A Weekend to Forget, as written by Joy Isi Bewaji (Seven and a Half Dates), is at once impressive and unseemly. The screenwriter seems to have an idea of the requirements for a good whodunnit mystery. First, a crime committed in a fashion that makes sense in the event of a grand reveal. Then, a host of characters with seemingly equal levels of motive and guilt, thus shedding light on humanity’s base instincts. The writing excels on these points, crafting solid characters with enough touchpoints for conflict. The reasonableness of Chekhov’s gun appears lost on the writer, and as such, characters, situations, and objects are set up without the concomitant conclusion and payoff. One character has been carrying out pregnancy tests for three weeks running. Why the sudden urgency beyond plot contrivance? We never find out. What was the point of the network outage? It is not as if the characters were out in the jungle, with a technological disconnect from civilisation adding extra peril. Does the excited mention of “Brownies!” give you expectations of intoxication and sensory disorientation? You will never see them again. Worst of all, why set up Chief Ajasa with all that malevolence if we will never have a demonstration in the story where it matters?
Additional Information
A Weekend to Forget premiered on September 22, 2023 in cinemas. Four friends with some ten years of distance between them meet up for a reunion in this Damola Ademola-directed A Weekend to Forget. Ferdy (Elozonam Ogbolu) is the fresh kid who just returned from abroad with business schemes and ideas. Shima (Daniel Etim Effiong) is the well-sought-after realtor who shows up with his beautiful doctor wife, Layo (Ini Dima-Okojie). Tito (Stan Nze), the supposed face of Nollywood, has a promising acting career, and a fiancee/manager, Ndali (Erica Nlewedim), forever looking out for his interests. Bem (Neo Akpofure) is the high roller wannabe bringing undesired history with Lisa (Uche Montana), his sizzling hot girlfriend fitting to melt our screens. Between all seven of them are secrets and past traumas dripping fresh.
Helmed by the producer, Ademola (Day of Destiny, The Blood Covenant) in his directorial debut, A Weekend to Forget is a suspense thriller which straddles the lines between psychological drama and the whodunnit mystery. For an opener, we are treated to a torture confrontation featuring Chief Ajasa as played by Akin Lewis (King of Boys, Your Excellency). Here he is an unforgiving businessman with a phallic fixation straight out of the Game of Thrones Ramsay Bolton playbook. He might have a problem keeping his villainous scowl in check, such as in a scene with his daughter, Lisa, and her boyfriend.
It is usually at this point in a whodunnit mystery that a relentless detective gets to work, sorting through the allotment of suspects. But members of this party do not know a thing about crime detection, and so with time running out on them, they must figure out precisely who had enough motive to commit the crime.
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A Weekend to Forget, released in a year we also got Hotel Labamba, ranks among the best Nollywood murder mysteries.
Inkblot Productions' 24th Title
With A Weekend to Forget, the total number of releases by Inkblot Productions has increased to twenty-four.
| # | Movie Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Department | 2015 |
| 2 | Out of Luck | 2015 |
| 3 | The Wedding Party | 2016 |
| 4 | My Wife & I | 2017 |
| 5 | The Arbitration | 2018 |
| 6 | The Wedding Party 2 | 2017 |
| 7 | New Money | 2018 |
| 8 | Mom’s at War | 2018 |
| 9 | Up North | 2018 |
| 10 | The Set Up | 2019 |
| 11 | Love is War | 2019 |
| 12 | Who’s The Boss? | 2020 |
| 13 | Quam’s Money | 2020 |
| 14 | Day of Destiny | 2021 |
| 15 | Charge and Bail | 2021 |
| 16 | Superstar | 2021 |
| 17 | The Blood Covenant | 2022 |
| 18 | The Perfect Arrangement | 2022 |
| 19 | Palava! | 2022 |
| 20 | The Set Up 2 | 2022 |
| 21 | Far From Home | 2022 |
| 22 | Love in a Pandemic | 2023 |
| 23 | Big Love | 2023 |
| 24 | A Weekend to Forget | 2023 |
