Ajoa (Jocelyn Dumas), a homeless young lady meets Bruce (Enyinna Nwigwe), a young man from a wealthy background, who takes a liking to her. Eventually, they fall in love, but the gulf in their backgrounds proves overpowering.
There are countless films in Nollywood that tell a similar story and so, Juliet Asante’s movie could be said to be derivative. Yet, it is a captivating film enhanced through stimulating dialogue, quality acting and plants, whose pay-offs never really came.
Mark (Chumani Liberty Pam) is immensely talented and a delight to see throughout the film; same for Bruce’s mum. Enyinna Nwigwe does not also disappoint as the playboy, Bruce. Uru Eke (Loreal) is true-to-type as a relentless social climber and, of course, Ajoa (Dumas) elicits a lot of emotional response from the audience as a poverty-stricken young lady.
Thrilling dialogue is an indispensable element in a screenplay and film expected to engross an audience and Silver Rain deploys it to commendable ends. In fact, one almost forgets that the film tells an all too familiar story.
Why do all the mothers in films like Silver Rain behave the same way? Can’t the women show their disdain for their sons’ lovers in a more subtle way instead of the nasty verbal and, at times, violent confrontations to which they subject the ladies?
Is the Chief-of-Staff in a democracy supposed to be a military man or did they mean to say Chief-of-Defence-Staff? How come the Chief of Staff (Elikem Kumordzie), a military man, plans a violent attack on visiting foreign dignitaries, at all, and then why does he plan it with civilians?
Ajoa’s make-up as a poor woman is funny. She looks extremely dark, even burnt. Then, all of a sudden, she becomes fair-complexioned. What happened? Why is Bruce attracted to her? She refuses his money initially, but on further promptings, she collects the money. She is neither sensible nor frugal; she usually requests those expensive meals yet has no roof over her head!
How unrealistic of Bruce to ask Mark to go look for a needle in a haystack for that is what asking him to find Ajoa, with the description he gave, entails? Furthermore, how idealistic of Mark to set out on that wild goose chase?
Weren’t the people who stood at the sidelines to watch the traders being chased away not supposed to be on the run themselves? Were they engaged in some kind of legitimate activity that conferred, on them, the right to be spectators? I mean, wasn’t the whole area supposed to be rid of its inhabitants and street traders?
Despite its gaping holes, Silver Rain is entertaining.
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