Movie Review: ‘The Stranger I Know’ is straightforward but bland…

For a start, I don’t know how to feel about the Nollywood movie; The Stranger I know. For some weird reasons, it is good and not so good at the same time. What do I mean? 

The Stranger I know is the story of two people; Janet and Jonathan. Janet had rented Jonathan’s house as a shortlet while Jonathan was to go on an official assignment. Jonathan canceled on Janet, but unfortunately, she didn’t get the email and was in the bathroom when Jonathan returned. They were both shocked to see each other and eventually realized the situation. 

 Since Janet had nowhere to stay, she pleaded with Jonathan to allow her to stay three days for her bank to send back her money, and he agreed. In those three days, the two realized they had so much in common, from watching movies on the same night to watching football on the same night. 

They grew so fond of each other and decided to start a relationship when the most shocking thing was revealed to them about their pasts. Would this information ruin the beautiful relationship they were trying to build? Only the movie can tell. 

The Stranger I know has a straightforward but bland storyline. To be honest, there was nothing to keep us on our toes while watching. It felt like I was watching an old love tale, acted by different people. In fact, thanks to the twist that was added to the end, The Stranger I know would have had an unimpressive story plot. On the other hand, the plot was well resolved and they didn’t leave us asking questions at the end of it. For next time though, that story could have been better structured. They bored us for most of it. 

I don’t think there is nothing much to say to the director asides from asking him what he was thinking about when he cast characters for that role. But, aside, there was nothing spectacular the director could have done considering the story plot. The truth is, any trained director could have directed the movie conveniently. It didn’t need any form of intelligence or special skills. 

The acting in The Stranger I know, is the biggest thing that would make you cringe. Why was the lady cast for Janet? Is it her movie? Is she related to the producer? What was the thought process behind the selection of that actor? Her acting was below average and very unbelievable. The painful part of it is the fact that her poor acting was draining Deyemi’s shine. As for Deyemi Okanlawon, this is not his best shot at acting, and I probably understand why. 

Akin Lewis is a good actor, as well as Bimbo Akintola and Dayo Amusan. But then, their characters lacked synergy and originality. They are good as individual actors, but as characters in The Stranger I know were not impressive. Toyin Abraham is also a good actor, but I have seen her pull better acting skills. 

Every other thing in The Stranger I know is just okay, and although the twist at the end was the highlight of the movie, a lot more things could have been better. For ratings, The Stranger I Know would get a 4/10