If the teaser for ‘The Bling Lagosians’ is all you have seen, your desire to watch a depiction of the display of lavish Lagos life, royalty attires, glamorous and expensive cars is not misplaced.
In all ramifications, the official trailer, which didn’t particularly reveal so much about the plot of the movie, whets the appetite of film buffs and Lagos lovers.
ALSO READ: 3 teasers from Biola Austen-Peters’ directorial debut, ‘The Bling Lagosians’
Though short on tension and suspense, ‘The Bling Lagosians’ offers a jolt of reality or two and a number of laughs.
While the audience anticipates the movie’s entry in cinema houses, here are the 5 things we learned from the ‘The Bling Lagosians’ private screening.
1. Opulence is well detailed
The opening montage of the film, ‘The Bling Lagosians’ readily hints the audience on what to expect as Akin Holloway - played by Gbenga Titilayo - narrates the beginning of the fall of his family legacy. Bolanle Austen Peters portrays the Holloways as the influential and powerful family from the city of Lagos with a formidable conglomerate, St Ives. From the decor of the offices to their cars and the ambiance of their palatial home, the luxurious lifestyle of the Holloways and their societal friends were well captioned and detailed. Relatably and like one of several billionaires in Lagos, Akin has a list of acquisitions that include choice homes across the globe, a private jet, limited edition wristwatches, automobiles and yacht - which he relaxes with his lover - to his name. The Holloways, as well as their society friends, unbridled love for flamboyance, was well depicted by Bolanle Austen Peters in ‘The Bling Lagosians’. In a nutshell, BAP properly documented her Lagos experience, which relatable to other upper-class Lagosians.
2. Good use of a robust cast
In the last few years, films with robust cast get the Nollywood audience weary as many ends up not living up to the billing of the hype associated with the big names. The trailer of ‘The Bling Lagosians’ might appear like a film lacking enthusiasm but Bolanle Austen-Peters’ directorial debut boasts a reasonable and very relatable storyline. Unlike many of the films in the league of the robust cast, none of the popular faces took the shine out of the others. Each character depended on the entire cast to nail it, hence, it was difficult for any popular face to try to outshine others. Despite the Holloways being at the center of the story, other characters that included Mopelola’s society friends, and Akin’s lover, friends, and business associates had an overall impact on what will be presented to movie lovers on June 28.
3. Storyline is relatable
‘The Bling Lagosians’ tells the story of a powerful Lagos family, The Holloways. The matriarch - played by Elvina Ibru - prepares for a flamboyant 51st birthday party, while her husband fights to prevent the family’s company and legacy from being ruined despite his frivolities. The first daughter of the Holloways, Demidun played by Osas Ighodaro - is a success and pride to the family but she’s facing a serious challenge threatening to crumble her marriage to gorgeous pilot, George - played by Jimmy Odukoya. The second daughter, Tokunbo - played by Sharon Ooja - is the art-inclined member of the family, who happens the most stable amongst the clan. As each member of the Holloway family work to solve their problems, the Asset Management Corporation prepares to foreclose on the family business and edge the Holloway out even after the death of his godfather and a lifeline from the state Governor.
As relatable as the storyline appears, Bolanle Austen Peters weaves it into an interesting film spanning a cinema running time of over one hour. Though it might not be long before movie buffs figure out the possible end after 30 minutes, ‘The Bling Lagosians’ has the potential to keep the audience glued to their seats till the end.
4. ‘The Bling Lagosians isn’t a slapstick but...
‘The Bling Lagosians’ might not necessarily compete with a Hollywood low budget drama as expected from BAP, who has proved her worth in stage plays, it is definitely not a slapstick. The elements of a drama, which are plot, character, thought, diction, spectacle, and song were all met in ‘The Bling Lagosians’. It is a commendable effort as a directorial debut and second production with a good choice of cast. One thing BAP got right was casting, the right pegs were plugged in the right holes for the overall success of the film.
5. Interesting characters that you should watch out for
Bolanle Austen Peters was on point in casting the characters for ‘The Bling Lagosians’. The casting, which she revealed lasted two months, saw some of your favourites smoothly interpreting roles that suit their personalities. Some of the interesting characters you should watch out for when ‘The Bling Lagosians’ starts screening are Akin Holloway played by Gbenga Titilayo, Tokunbo Holloway played by Sharon Ooja, Honourable Alabi Ojo aka Baba Eko played by Jide Kosoko, Adunni Fernandez aka Iya Oge played by Toyin Abraham, Nnamdi Agu played by Alex Ekubo, Oge Briggs played by Winihin Jemede, and Mopelola Holloway played by Elvina Ibru.
Overall, ‘The Bling Lagosians’ is not a bad effort for Bolanle Austen Peters’ directorial debut. In the same vein, one of BAP’s associate, Kunle Afolayan’s first attempt as a director, ‘Irapada’ was a mild success but it introduced Afolayan as a director. He has gone ahead to position himself as one of Nollywood’s visionary directors.