MOVIE REVIEW: My Sunshine: First-ever Korean-Nigerian movie flops

Film Title: My Sunshine

Language: English, Korea

Working time: 1 hour 14 minutes

Launch date: 2024

Streaming platform: YouTube

Director: Abdulrasheed Bello (JJC Skillz)

Solid: Kemi Ikuseedun, Mr Macaroni, Chinedu Ikedieze, Olayode Juliana, Akinsola Esther, Diva Gold, Grace Angel, Khalid Ahatu, Akinsola Esther, Peter Komba, and others.

‘My Sunshine’, by skit maker Kemi Ikuseedun, also referred to as Mummy Wa or Kemzmama, is groundbreaking as the primary Nigerian movie to combine the Korean language.

The movie introduces an revolutionary fusion of two distinct cinematic cultures – Ok-drama and Nollywood- and presents a contemporary idea that provides a brand new twist to the Nigerian film trade, sparking curiosity among the many viewers.

Directed by Abdulrasheed Bello, also referred to as JJC Skillz, it revolves across the experiences of highschool college students in a Korean faculty owned by a Nigerian. It highlights cultural change in a method that’s uncommon in African cinema.

This mix of cultural components suggests an try to cater to each Nollywood followers and lovers of Korean drama, making ‘My Sunshine’ a daring experiment in cross-cultural storytelling.

Was this experimental try to create a masterpiece value it?

Plot

The film kicks off with Charis Benson and her mom discussing a scholarship alternative at a Korean faculty in Nigeria. Owing to her late father’s Korean heritage, Charis already has some understanding of the Korean language.

Charis and 4 different college students obtain the scholarship, which is introduced at their church, and so they promptly start their highschool journey.

Yewande, a rich and enticing scholar, rapidly develops emotions for Charis, which solely fuels the animosity from Yewande, Gerald’s ex-girlfriend. Yewande constantly tries to undermine and belittle Charis, labelling her a ‘peasant.’ This units the stage for a traditional highschool love triangle, including a layer of drama to the plot.

Regardless of Yewande’s hostility, Gerald stays drawn to Charis, even inviting her to his home and trying to kiss her. Earlier than promenade, Charis and her good friend Susanne conspire to rig the votes, guaranteeing Charis turns into a candidate for promenade queen to outshine Yewande. This strategic transfer not solely showcases Charis’s dedication but in addition units the stage for a dramatic promenade evening. Their plan succeeds, and Charis attends promenade with Gerald, her crush.

In the end, Charis wins promenade queen after Yewande’s scheme is uncovered on stage. Gerald, who wins promenade king, joyfully dances with Charis, and their connection deepens as he asks her to be his girlfriend.

Character Evaluation

Kemi Ikuseedun takes on the lead function in My Sunshine, portraying a scholar who earns a scholarship to attend a Korean faculty. Whereas her effort to talk Korean is commendable, there are notable gaps in her fluency, which detract from the authenticity of the movie’s try to include the language right into a Nigerian context.

Chinedu Ikedieze delivered a powerful efficiency regardless of his transient look, though his incapacity to interact with the Korean language was considerably disappointing.

Olayode Juliana’s portrayal of a trainer on the Korean faculty wanted extra depth. Her makes an attempt at talking Korean appeared awkward, making some scenes really feel flat.

Grace Angel, enjoying Susanne, excelled in her function. She spoke Korean extra naturally and added vibrancy to her scenes, very like Ikuseedun in her standout moments.

Film Evaluation

‘My Sunshine’ is a romantic movie centred on love and friendship. Nevertheless, Ikuseedun’s effort to carry a Ok-drama-inspired storyline to Nollywood by incorporating the Korean language and a fairy-tale romance theme falls brief.

Regardless of the contemporary try, the actors wrestle with fluency in Korean, mixing it with English even briefly dialogues, which impacts its stream.

The film’s mixture of English, Korean, and bits of Yoruba may be exhausting for the viewers.

Whereas the idea is bold, the movie’s weak plot and lack of clear path finally disappoint. By the top, I felt I had wasted 1 hour and 14 minutes watching one thing that didn’t fairly impress, cautioning the viewers concerning the movie’s execution.

Some actors, together with Ikuseedun (Mummy Wa) and her co-stars, delivered their traces in Korean effectively. Nonetheless, the movie might have benefited from a extra in-depth grasp of the language if the purpose was to mix Korean into Nollywood successfully.

Ikedieze, the varsity’s principal, humorously manages to solely say “bye” in Korean regardless of professing a deep love for the language, which led him to determine a Korean highschool.

Total, this film is a flop, and such an experiment shouldn’t be repeated within the title of manufacturing a movie.

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The cinematography and sound high quality are commendable for a YouTube-level Nigerian-Korean movie. The digicam work successfully captures the feelings of the characters, and the sound design enhances the viewing expertise, particularly in the course of the promenade evening sequence.

My Sunshine is now displaying on YouTube.

Verdict

3/10