’76 Review…what a novel plot that took us back in time

Year: 2016
Genre: Politics, True Story, Investigation, Period, Marriage, Drama
Cast: Ramsey Nouah, Rita Dominic, Chidi Mokeme, Adonijah Omowira, Daniel K Daniel, Debo Oguns, Memory Savanhu, Nelly Ekwereogo, Pat Nebo, Ibinabo Fiberesima
Director: Izu Ojukwu
Writer: Emmanuel Okomanyi
Cinematographer: Yinka Edward
Summary: Following the 1976 failed military coup, Captain Dewa, wrongly implicated, must prove his innocence in order to avoid the death sentence

Overall Rating: Beignets
What a novel plot that took us back in time and narrated the history behind the 1976 coup attempt! Izu Ojukwu adequately fed our curiosity!
The acting, editing, and overall screenplay, regrettably, did not follow the same path 🙁
~Worth Watching~

Delicious
—We need to give it up for ’76’s photography because it felt like we were actually watching a movie shot in the 70s. Good job
—The narrative gave us knowledge about a vital historical event, a great way to break from typical fictional scripts. ’76 touched on such questions as: What does patriotism truly mean? What is more important: allegiance to friends or the government?
—Izu Ojukwu intentionally gave us a taste of the old days by featuring black and white shots, voices from radio/TV presenters, social activities, singers, and an entertaining ambiance
—You could tell the costume, score, and set design teams put a lot of effort into producing a 70s look in the movie. We relished the afros, colorful dresses and bell-bottom pants 😀

Bland
—Rita Dominic (playing Dewa’s wife) delivered a notable performance post-pregnancy, but before that, she was walking and running fast, getting up and down effortlessly with a full-term pregnancy that it took away from the realism of the story.
The other actors were ok, not memorable except for Adonijah Owiriwa (playing Captain Jaiye)
—The editor, at times, cut some scenes too quickly that we missed some valuable details
—It would have been nice for the screenplay to have included more detailed character development, for instance, we didn’t really get to know Captain Dewa’s (Ramsey Nouah) psychology during jail time. Further info about the coup planning and the process leading to its failure could have been provided to better understand ’76