I’m blown away, surprised and disappointed all wrapped up in one warped emotion. The launch of Escape was everything the organizers and the cast had hoped for. The celebs, Red Carpet, paparazzi and oh yes free wine!
We all love freebies right?!
The turnout was overwhelming. Two cinemas were filled to capacity people and some people had to sit along the aisles with even more of them standing.
Now, If that didn’t prove people’s Enthusiasm and high expectations, I don’t what Now that shows that people were excited for this movie and that their expectations were high. Or maybe it was just because it was a free movie at Ster Kinekor. Yes? No? Ok!
Escape is basically a story of a guy whose mother dies in the United Kingdom, he comes to Zimbabwe in search of his father. Now that should be a very good heart-strings story right? Well, I hate to disappoint you if you were expecting this to be an emotional rollercoaster. The emotions in this movie are not relayed that much. Jose Marques who is a new face to the screen is a hunk, handsome and all, but sadly we felt his facial expressions betrayed every word that came from his mouth. After all, if an actor is not proficient in the business of expressing emotions, what’s the actual point?
Maybe he can do better in the future but for this production his performance is a 5/10 at best. Selmor was another casualty of the same fate.If anything we are sure she would better blossom in a soapie with dramatic scenes and a slower story line less the necessities of feature film.
However the major highlights of this movie are the sex scenes. Yes, a Zimbabwean feature actually had sex scenes not that crap of a shot of a couple entering a bedroom and then exiting in the next shot. There was actual moaning and grinding, (Mind you, movie sex is not real but just improvised sex. Let not your imagination run wild!). This is a huge step for our film industry and quite unheard of in that regard. Even a kiss on the screen can cause chaos around these parts, reference point is the Vimbai and Tom Mbambo kiss on Studio 263 a decade ago. But that was a decade ago and it seems like the censorship board might have finally been introduced to the 21st Century (see what I did there).
Eddie Sandifolo did an impressive job starring as a concierge/butler. This guy fitted into his role perfectly and the delivery of the lines was perfect. He exuded the composure of a real life butler and this might be his award winning performance. And for the best performance Nothando Nobengula takes the nod. She stars as a seductress and man does she seduce the juice out of the protagonist. She was so comfortable in the sex scenes it made us raise our eyebrows just a little bit…experience maybe? She could switch from being a churchly wife to being a vixen so easily you might think it is real life. Thumbs up Nothando!
However, there is a question. What was the main reason of having Acie Lumumba do a cameo in this movie. Because frankly ratings might drop because of is mess that is a trial at acting. He was simply, terrible. That aside, the cinematography was on point. The drone shots were simply fire, Harare might never ever seem the same again. It’s a job well done to Joe Njagu and Agniezska Piotrowska. This is a good attempt and their next project might blow the lid off and bring life into the Zimbabwe film industry. I hope other filmmakers learnt from Joe, it’s always good to take risks even at the value of a 100k.
