Dazzling Mirage Review… so many factors worked against this production😢

Year: 2015
Genre: Tradition, Career, Social Justice, Sickness, Self-Discovery, Romance, Drama
Cast: Kemi Lala Akindoju, Kunle Afolayan, Seun Akindele, Carol King, Bimbo Manuel, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Yomi Fash-Lanso
Director: Tunde Kelani
Writer: Ade Solanke
Cinematographer: Sarafa Abagun, Seun Sonoiki
Summary: Funmiwo, suffering from sickle cell anemia, is determined to fight the odds in order to become successful in all areas of life

Overall Rating: Nuts
We wanted to loooooove Dazzling Mirage so much, sadly and very sadly so many factors worked against this film, notably the acting, cinematography, and synthetic storytelling
~Yours To Explore~

Delicious
—Bringing awareness about sickle cell anemia was an original idea for this film; we got to be informed on many dos and don’ts. Watching Dazzling Mirage was like being in a classroom and learning about the disease.
The narrative served as a major source of encouragement for those affected by the condition and taught us how to relate to them
—Selecting Kemi Lala Akindoju (Funmiwo) was a good pick as she fit the profile physically making the story believable

Bland
—The acting, unfortunately, wasn’t up to the mark; Funmiwo’s potential mother-in-law (Taiwo Ajai-Lycett) was so theatrical and unreal, almost to the point that it became perturbing.
Dotun (Kunle Afolayan) was supposed to steal our hearts with his charm, but you could tell he wasn’t relaxed in some scenes and even in delivering the lines
—What’s the definition of sickle cell anemia? We didn’t get to know🤔 We were informed of the symptoms and treatments but not what the disease was
—The directors of photography didn’t have a good grip on the camera or lighting. Images were moving aimlessly, again, another distraction from the storytelling
—Some scenes were cut too soon and there was an abundance of repetitive fading transitions
—Dazzling Mirage started out nicely, introducing us to Funmiwo, her challenges and ambitions. After the climax, the story took on a more fairy tale aspect with cheesy dialogues, the scenario became predictable and at times unrealistic.
One of those moments was when Funmiwo, as a result of intense pains, passed out in her house and the security man didn’t call for the neighbors’ help or go out looking for a taxi to take her to the hospital; he instead called her friend who lived quite a distance away, then just stood there looking at her…