You can understand the speed of which writer-director Biyi Bandele zips through this drama on the troubled rise and fall of Biafra. In the days of high concept demands and low patience levels, Bandele is all too aware that things need to happen and need to happen fast but his dialogue-driven debut also needed to take a breather to let its big moments land. Births, deaths, murders, and infidelities whizz past at such a pace that nothing is given time to register. It's a shame too as there was a good movie here.
Nigeria, mid-sixties, and sociology professor Olanna (Newton) and literary professor Odenigbo (Ejiofor) set tongues wagging by choosing to live together despite not being married. His traditional mother (Onyeka Onwenu) isn't impressed with the ambitious Olanna, and concocts a plan to have a village girl seduce a drunken Odenigbo and bear his child, thus forcing a break up. But as the couple battle through this Nigeria is plunged into civil war, driving the would-be family south to the newly formed breakaway republic of Biafra. Meanwhile, Olanna's twin sister (Rose) takes up with a British ex pat novelist (Mawle).
It's a uneven movie. Scenes of the horrors of war are immediately followed by scenes of joy and laughter but in any case the scenes are so short the requisite emotion isn't given a chance to be felt. One major character is abducted into the army, then word arrives that he's dead, but then he turns up alive - all within about five minutes. Sometimes touching goodbyes are said and friends are waved away as if they will never be seen again, but the very next scene they are together once more. There aren't any moments of introspection and characters aren't afforded the time to digest the political shakeup that’s happening around them as it seems that would slow things down. Onward, sir. Ever onward.
Space. Half of a Yellow Sun needed space to breathe but it's as if there was a decision made in the editing room that anything that wasn't absolutely essential to the Biafra and marriage storylines was deemed surplus to requirements and ripped out (and if that’s true there's a better movie somewhere). It's skeleton crew plotting.
Newton and Ejifor do what they can but they don't have room to do anything other than say their lines before Bandele moves on to the next scene. Too much like a TV melodrama to be a success.
