An Annex Merchandise Production presents, Genevieve Nnaji (Juliana), Desmond Elliot (Clark), Yul Edochie (Emeka), Livinus Nnochiri (Dr. Ferdinand) Chukwudi Okoro (Udoka) Ofia ‘Afuluagu Mbaka (Gordian) Walter Anga (Peter) Story, Nwafor Anayo, Screenplay, Tchidi Chikere/Chucks Obiarah, Editor, Okafor Ikechi Augustine. DOP, John Ogemeka; Exec.Producer, Nwafor Anayo; Director/Producer, Tchidi Chikere. C.2007.
Tchidi Chikere creates another character that leaves the audience in tears as he would do so in the following year with Beautiful Soul (2008) for which he got nominated by the African Movie Awards for best screenplay. In Wind of Glory, he presents us with a character, Juliana (Genevieve Nnaji) in the worst predicament: Blind.
Juliana and her brother, Udoka live in a village on the outskirt of the city. In the village, there’s a tyrant, Gordian (Ofia ‘Afuluagu Mbaka), who claims Juliana as his natural wife and no one else should go between them. He can’t wait for Juliana’s consent but goes about harassing, and with series of attempts to rape her whenever she’s alone.
Clark (Desmond Elliot) is the city water engineer who on a visit to the village one day, his jeep almost runs over Juliana as she runs from the wrath of Gordian. When Clark finds that Juliana is blind and that she was running away from Gordian, his heart goes out to her. They strike a friendship.
Gordian and his friends murder Juliana’s only brother and now she’s left with no protection from the village tyrant, but Clark steps in and takes her to the city, to Dr. Ferdinand (Livinus Nnochiri), for exam and treatment. While at the doctor’s for treatment, Clark makes a visit to the village and he’s kidnapped by Gordian and his gang as well. Juliana gains eyesight but Clark is nowhere to be found and the manhunt put up was to no avail. Dr. Ferdinand adopts Juliana since she has no relatives.
It’s been a while and Juliana still mourns for the disappearance of Clark. Already Dr. Ferdinand and Juliana assume Clark is dead. When a tennis player friend, Emeka (Yul Edochie) of Dr. Ferdinand sees Juliana at the court, he falls for her and both end dating. Emeka had lost his fiance’ a few months to their wedding and then too, his best friend had disappeared, assuming being killed.
Clark escapes from his kidnappers and comes back to town. Eventually, he claims Juliana from the arms of his childhood friend Emeka.
Wind of Glory has similar traits with that of Beautiful Soul. In Wind of Glory, Tchidi creates for us a fateful and generous heart, and the character he started creating in that story was perfected in Beautiful Soul. Wind of Glory’s main player, Juliana is miserable as we find Olivia, in Beautiful Soul. Chikere’s Olivia is destined to die hence, afflicted with a terminal disease, but Juliana’s blindness is temporary and is cured so she’s able to live a better life.
The brood of actors at Chikere’s behest help brings most of his work alive. Ali Nuhu, Yul Edochie, Desmond Elliot, Genevieve Nnaji, and Livinus Nnochiri. Yul Edochie turns out to be the pilfering and deceiving boyfriend in Beautiful Soul, but turns out to be the friend of Clark’s, who falls for his girl Juliana in Wind of Glory.
David (Tchidi Chikere) in Beautiful soul by chance runs into Olivia (Genevieve Nnaji) when she has relapsed in public, and he volunteers to take her to the hospital. That is how their relationship starts. Desmond Elliot (Clark) in Wind of Glory meets with Juliana when speeding into town nearly runs over her with his jeep. In both scenes in each of the movies, future suitors rescue Olivia and Juliana by accident. In both films, Chikere creates circumstances for Olivia to run into David, which in a sense provides respite for her ailing condition away from the pilfering boyfriend. In Wind of Glory, Clark has to come in and rescue Juliana from the village tyrant and helps her recover her sight.
In both films, Tchidi jerks our emotional chains to the limit. We follow Olivia to her dying bed, sharing jokes, playing and laughing, knowing fully well that the end for her is near. In a scene when David is presented with the irremediable health condition of Olivia, he poetically soliloquizes over a burning candle: “I am in love with this candle. My pain grows heavier because I know it’s burning out…I know it’s dying slowly…I’m trying to stop it from burning…I’m pleading with it, I’m begging it. I’m saying, the candle will you stay with me? Still, it dies and it’s killing me.”
Wind of Glory is a movie to spend the evening watching, believing that all is not lost as long as you are still breathing.
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