By Ali Baylay
An Annex Merchandise Productions Film; Starring: St. Obi, Stephnie Okereke, Ifeoma Anyiam, Steve Eboh, Andy Chukwu,Uche Elendu, Cynthia Okereke, Chikezie Uwaizi, Esther Aikpokpoje, Nnamdi Eze; Story: Nwafor Anayo; Screenplay: Chuks Obiara; Editor: Iyke Okafor; Production manager: Chie Jina Ephraim O; Executive Producers: Nwafor Anayo; Producer: Nwafor Anayo; Director: Andy Chukwu. 108 Mins. C 2006
Kevin, “you know what? You’re stupid….” (?), “I don’t mind calling me stupid, but to call my wife….” Kevin, “Nancy is not your wife and never will be…Well, we’ll see who gets hurt.”
Such is the heated confrontation this Nollywood piece presents for our viewing pleasure. And as a friend of Kevin could comment, “This is getting messy.” It rightly gets messy: one suitor of Nancy on his way to the alter gets kidnapped, another lover who offers Kevin millions of Nairas to give up his incessant desire for Nancy, is swept away by a gang of kidnappers before his traditional wedding ceremony with her could start. Ones Kevin knows he’s not going to get Nancy anymore he declares an all out war on her piece of mind, and it is a stand off after another, though Nancy couldn’t yield.
Woman On Top is a sour romance flick. It is the type that goes sour for everyone connected to the lovers: Nancy’s mother, her friends and Kevin’s friend. Kevin (St Obi) is a well-to-do businessman who falls in love with single mother’s daughter, Nancy (Stphnie Okereke). He assumes he’s on top of her love because he showers her with money. Nancy uses this head over heels type of fall to her advantage by pilfering money from Kevin in return for no love. Lies after lies and deceptions after deceptions on Nancy’s part the relationship continues.
But when Nancy finally decides to break off from Kevin, and just when Nancy is about to get wed to another man, the man gets kidnapped. Nancy goes into hiding but is dug up by Kevin. Kevin falls under suspicion for the disappearance of Nancy’s groom, but soon released for lack of substance. The stand off between Kevin and Nancy continues and gets to a boiling point after Nancy discloses to Kevin that she’s not in love and has never been, and will never be in love with him. Nancy’s new boyfriend and would be husband approaches Kevin for a deal: Kevin should take so much nairas for all his troubles and expenses on Nancy. Now, Kevin feels really insulted. Shortly before Nancy could be traditionally betrothed, her fiancé gets kidnapped again.
I must give it straight to the screenwriter of this movie for his laconic and taut conversational dialogue, that didn’t waste on anything trivial. Every delivery is appropriately used and used economically for the screen. There’s enough tension and conflict that keeps the plot moving enough to keep viewers eye glued to the screen. Character development is one way of rounding up a screenplay to the point of resolution. We see Kevin’s character, the principal player in this movie come full circle. At first he’s a well dressed successful businessman but as the movie and tension progresses he’s become much more a hoodlum, and a creepy one at that, than the gentleman we meet at the beginning of the story.
Woman On Top is a remarkable ‘woman’s film’. Just as the name itself (on top) signifies, it is an African woman’s empowerment movie. It is about time Nollywood recognizes the role of women in our films as not subservient to men but can as well stand up to their male counterparts in many aspects and get away with it. African culture and films have portrayed women as merely housewives, secretaries or other menial services in society. What Woman On Top does is to present to us a liberated fearless woman who can have her cake and eat it too.