Sleepwalker
A Devine Touch film. Starring: Genevieve Nnaji, Ramsey Nuoah, Kofi Adjorlolo, Mercy Johnson, Jackie Appiah, Smith Asante. Editor: Uche Ike; Producers: Emeka Igwemba, Kinsley Okereke, Ikechukwu Onyeka; Executive Producers: Emeka Igwemba, Kinsley Okereka, Ikechukwu Onyeka; Director: Ikechukwu Onyeka; Screenplay: Chisom Juliet Okereke. Run Time: 148mins.
Sleepwalker is a vengeance film and by Nollywood standard, this film is a class act. Too much seriousness went into making this film. It all starts with the lineup of Nollywood heavyweights like Ramsey Nuoah, Genevieve Nnaji, Koffi Adjorlolo, and Smith Asante, and fabulous locations and wardrobe, and interprets so on screen in a stellar act that could go on to become Nollywood movie of the year.
Sleepwalker is a movie about a girl, Francisca-later in the story, Angel (Genevieve Nnaji) whose parents are murdered in front of her at a tender age, by Chief Diminas (Kofi Adjorolo). Though Francisca’s trauma wore off with time, by the time she becomes an interior designer, and named Angel, and placed in a special assignment with Chief Diminas, the old anger locked in the deep recesses of her psychic, returns.
To add juice to the story’s main plot, there’s this fascinating little sub-plot in which Stone (Smith Asante), manager of the interior designing company, is cajoled into making love with Angel in the name of a bribe so she can win the contract by way of getting to the chief. Angel unremorsefully falls out with her roommate (Stone’s girlfriend) over this juiceless rendezvous, and in fact works out on her onto becoming a society woman, as she marries Chief Diminas. Here the protagonist and the antagonist are placed under one roof, the same bedroom, in marital relationship-sleeping with the enemy.
Another interesting sub-plot to this vengeance story is the shrewd ploy of Angel to destroy the chief completely by first dating the chief’s son, drops him off like a penny with a hole in it, and along the way, fires the chief’s confidential secretary-cum girlfriend, before then secretly connived with chief’s young lawyer and confidant, Justin (Ramsey Nuoah) to bring the chief down.
At about this time in a review, when much of the good has been said, it is customary to bring out the other side of the film that could stand out as a flaw. The unscreen presence of Mercy Johnson (Beth), for whatever reason, do not contribute to the story at all. Such parts do not meet her status as a major Nollywood player. In other words, such bit parts are introductory parts for Nollywood newbies. In structure and composition for commercial films, a scene that does not forward the story is not necessary.
Sleepwalker has great moments and I believe much could have been made of those moments, but not the same much was made of them.