Nollywood diva, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, makes a comeback after a three-year hiatus by teaming up with director, Moses Inwang, in the much-anticipated Alter Ego.
Omotola plays the role of “Barrister” Ada Igwe, a successful but single spinster who devotes her time and legal resources towards making sex offenders pay for their sins and goes on to protect young girls from abuse.
Ada is passionate and focused but has a dark side which is her wanton nature. Any man would simply satisfy her urges. She tries hard to balance this multiple personality (post-traumatic stress disorder), created to deal with past pain, that threatens her career and all she stands for.
The excitement of finally getting to see a movie starring Omotola (after Ije) is instantly replaced with utter disappointing owing to the plethora of mistakes littering the movie. These are mistakes that should have been spotted by a trained eye. Permit me to point out a few:
- The trial judge in the movie addresses a lawyer in his court as “barrister.” Perhaps this is pardonable.
- The punishment for rape carries a sentence of 14 years in the movie. The term is actually for attempted rape. Research!
iii. Ada is seen soliciting for clients in the movie. Lawyers are actually not permitted to do this.
- The Toyota SUV used by Ada in the movie has a registration plate bearing the Nigerian Police Force. Shocking.
Alter Ego did not really come alive until seasoned actor, Jide Kosoko, who plays an abuser, makes his appearance. Madam Kofo equally gives a brief but entertaining performance.
Full marks have to go to Wale Ojo. His place as an A-list actor is unquestionable. He is simply the George Clooney of Nollywood. His diction, poise and acting skills are top-notch.
One must talk about the now notorious raunchy scenes involving Omotola. Whether they were necessary or not would always divide opinion. It was a bold move from the Nollywood diva who later revealed she sought her husband’s permission before embarking on the task.
Alter Ego is a poorly told story with many errors. If Omotola needed a challenging script to bring her out of her hibernation then one wonders why she chose this. One struggle to take any positives away from the movie save for performances by Jide Kosoko, Madam Kofo and Wale Ojo.
Lest I forget, the proposal scene is worth seeing.
