On Friday, June 16,, 2017, Isoken, the highly anticipated Nollywood blockbuster movie opened and sold-out in cinemas nationwide toping the box office over Hollywood blockbusters, ‘Wonder Women’, ‘The Mummy’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’.The movie is produced and directed by first timer Jadesola Osiberu and was released in Nigeria after an unprecedented release in 15 cinemas across the UK.
The outstanding and entertaining romantic comedy centered on the titular character, Isoken, played by Dakore Akande who has what appears to be a perfect life: beautiful, successful and surrounded by great family and friends but is unmarried at 34 in a culture obsessed with marriage. Things come to a head at her younger sister’s wedding when her overbearing mother (Tina Mba) thrusts her into an orchestrated matchmaking with the ultimate Edo man, Osaze (Joseph Benjamin).
The film is has been received widespread praise from audiences and critics alike with Ojonugwa Ugboja of www.sundiatapost.com call it “Fresh and breath of originality. Nothing was forced, which validates the fact that classy is not only achieved with synthetics. One could feel an African touch to a modern story, signalling that we are no longer in a hurry to lose ourselves to the fancy of the world – the western world to be precise”. Ayodeji Rotinwa, a cinema goer on twitter wrote, “If wedding romcom becomes its own genre – as is now likely in Nigerian cinema – #IsokenTheMovie should be the guide for all future films”. Another cinema goer wrote on instagram, “Very beautiful movie, definitely watching it again”.
Movie newcomer, Bolanle Olukanni shined alongside the more seasoned casts like Patrick Doyle, Tina Mba and the collective talent and genius of Dakore Akande, Funke Akindele and Joseph Benjamin. The ingenious appeal of this movie lies in the serious yet hilarious ways the issue of marriage and the pressure to be married in Nigeria was undertaken. Isoken captures the way our culture lays strong emphasis on the need for women to be married at a particular age, our cultural expectations and racial stereotypes.
The movie which was produced to the highest international standards is a film for all. It is still available to all lovers of good movies in all cinemas nationwide.
