Cast: Uche Nwadili, Ngozi Nwaneto, Nonso Odogwu
Director: Chika Anadu
Country: Nigeria
Genre: Drama
Editor’s Notes: The following review is part of our coverage of the BFI London Film Festival. For more information on the festival visit http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff and follow the event on Twitter at @bfi.
Having received its world premiere at the London Film Festival, B For Boy is the first full-length feature of Chika Anadu, a director intent on bringing to light the discriminations faced by females in contemporary Nigeria. B For Boy is the exploration of a woman’s desperate attempt for a male child; in Nigeria, society is still majorly patriarchal and only males are eligible for the status of heir. As Anadu uncovers, there is no such thing as an heiress with a brother in Nigeria, a shocking truth to expose to a predominantly western audience. Enlightening and equally shocking, B For Boy is a commendable filmic debut that illuminates the horrifying lengths that a woman would go to ensure the sex of her next born, as well as the damage inflicted upon the female population as the result of patriarchy.
Shocking as it is heart-wrenching, B For Boy is chock full of moments resembling cinematic greatness; the tension that builds following Amaka’s repeated lies and cover-ups make for an entertaining watch, but the slow pace of the film deems it almost instantly forgettable.
Amaka Okoli is a middle class housewife, married to the prosperous businessman, Nonso. With one daughter already and heavily pregnant, Amaka is faced with the brutal pressure of birthing a baby boy. She is aware that the failure to do so, despite this result being through no fault of her own, would prompt her husband to take on a second wife in order to increase the likelihood of conceiving an heir. After an ultrasound reveals that the child she carries is indeed male, she suffers a heart-wrenching miscarriage that, as an insult to injury, damages the lining of her uterus to the point that she is no longer able to bear children. Heart-broken and desperate to maintain her monogamous relationship, she sets out on a risky quest to acquire a baby boy by her due date by any means necessary.
B For Boy clocks in at around two hours, an overlong effort by far. The sluggish pace of the film only intensifies this pervasion, plagued by the massively slow first two acts. As the story begins to pick up speed towards its third act, the film develops into an exquisitely crafted thriller; despite her means of acquisition being questionable, the audience roots for Amaka’s success. Down in most part to a convincing portrayal of the character by Uche Nwadili , the audience can’t help but be drawn helplessly into the drama not only because the film requires such involvement but furthermore because the startling relevance of the narrative is difficult to ignore. B For Boy is set in 2013 Nigeria, an unpleasantly surprising realization to stomach; the notion that patriarchy is still alive and well is unthinkable, particularly to a western audience, yet the film unearths just that.
As important an issue as it addresses, the film itself fails to live up to the issue at hand thanks to a disjointed script stretched over too long a film.
Shocking as it is heart-wrenching, B For Boy is chock full of moments resembling cinematic greatness; the tension that builds following Amaka’s repeated lies and cover-ups make for an entertaining watch, but the slow pace of the film deems it almost instantly forgettable. As important an issue as it addresses, the film itself fails to live up to the issue at hand thanks to a disjointed script stretched over too long a film. Despite its imperfections, Anadu’s feature film debut is without a doubt a commendable effort; the thought that has gone into many of the shots is artful and obvious. A particularly memorable contrasting of scenes featuring Amaka walking down a slope from the hospital in both a walk of glory and walk of shame is resonant of Anadu’s skill as director. Ultimately being slightly rough around the edges and a somewhat mediocre film in comparison to others in its category, B For Boy is a wholesome debut with many merits, most notably bringing light to a situation that many had written off as long forgotten.
[notification type=”star”]62/100 ~ OKAY. Ultimately being slightly rough around the edges and a somewhat mediocre film in comparison to others in its category, B For Boy is a wholesome debut with many merits, most notably bringing light to a situation that many had written off as long forgotten. [/notification]
