Movie Review: ‘Saving Onome’ shows struggles parents face to raise children

Saving Onome is one movie intending parents need to watch before they embark on the journey of bringing babies into this world. The movie tells the story of a young couple who needed N10m as demanded by a hospital so that their daughter could undergo surgery to save her life. The struggling couple only had three weeks to raise the sum.

Mixed with action, suspense and emotions, this movie showcases the depth to which parents can go to ensure that their children don’t suffer in life.

Directed by Dimeji Ajibola, written by Janobest Isaac, and produced by Inkblot Productions, the movie features acts like Nasboi (Tega), Olumide Oworu (Jetta), Nancy Isime (Tola), Kelechi Udegbe, Nosa Okunzuwa, Mary Lazarus, Femi Jacobs, Keppy Ekpeyong, Ashionye Michelle Raccah, amongst others.

While Tola had the chance to raise the needed sum by selling her body, her husband Jetta was presented with armed robbery as a way to prevent his daughter Onome from dying. As I said earlier, this movie is a must-watch for everyone enticed by the idea of having children. This is because it teaches that childraising comes with a lot of challenges that can almost make one regret ever embarking on the journey. One thing that turned me off while seeing the movie was the pink hair Nancy Isime was wearing. To me, it drew attention from her most of the time. Also, it was too neat for a woman who needed N10m to save her dying daughter.

A part of the movie that can only be enjoyed by simple-minded people is the part where Tola snuck out to a nightclub to have sex with a man to raise the money needed for her daughter’s surgery. I wonder why the writers had to put us through the period where Tola bashed a man’s head inside a toilet after she eavesdropped his conversation about money stashed somewhere. I don’t know how else to explain that scene, and if I try to do so, I might have to explain the entire movie.

I have to give credit to the lighting department because they were on point, especially with the nightclub scene. However, I think they could have done better with the hospital scene by introducing some darkness to express the depressing state of the situation. The bright white light did much to reduce the frantic mood that the hospital scene was mostly about.

To me, the best actor in the movie is Olumide Oworu who played his role very well. As for Nancy Isime, I don’t think she was best for the role of a mother in distress. She looks more fit for the role of a club girl, which her character later transforms into. Kelechi Udegbe also did well in his role, only that someone with a Sugar Daddy look, e.g. Femi Branch, would have been fitting for the role.

Will the movie do well in cinemas? I won’t conclude yet because, with good promotion, people will head out to see the movie but might not impressed they spent their time doing so. The movie gets a 5/10.