Strangers Review… a nice story on resilience

Year: 2022
Genre: Relations, Self-Discovery, Sickness, Faith, Drama
Cast: Lateef Adedimeji, Bimbo Oshin, Bolaji Ogunmola, Debbie Felix, Chris Iheuwa, Ndamo Damarise, Daniel Bogunmbe, Mide Glover, Peter Fatomilola, Waliu Fagbemi, Taiwo Ibikunle, Bimbo Akintola, Aisha Lawal, Femi Adebayo
Director: Biodun Stephen
Writer: Anthony Eloka Ogbu
Cinematographer: Oladapo Abiola, Lawrence Morgan
Summary: What seemed to be a negligent insect bite on little Adetola’s foot turned into an incurable wound requiring firm faith to believe he’ll ever get healed

Overall Rating: Beignets           
If there were ever a story on resilience that would be Strangers because Adetola’s journey was an intense trial. The movie was very touching with a cast that really pulled out our emotions.
A few elements here and there didn’t work, but overall Strangers is worth your time!

Delicious
—Let’s just begin by saying THANK YOU for telling this story! Strangers addressed many themes but the ones we’re going to highlight are generosity, resilience, and faith.
The way people poured out their resources in terms of time, finances, and logistics was so touching and amazing. Little Adetola (Daniel Bogunmbe) growing up in a remote village desperately needed to be taken care of and it was so moving to see generosity at work.
What Adetola went through was painful, he was beaten up spiritually, emotionally, and of course physically, but had to keep on going. We were learning from his resilience.
We also witnessed the power of God upon Adetola’s life working wonders in the background
—A great cast selection 👏🏾👏🏾 From Adetola’s mother (Bimbo Oshin) stepping up to show everlasting love and support, she reminded us of our African mothers’ spirit. Adetola’s sister (Bolaji Ogunmola), filling in the shoes of a mother figure, was soooo caring. Debbie Felix (playing Adetola’s friend) was simply the embodiment of faithfulness and kindness
All the actors who played Adetola (Daniel Bogunmbe, Mide Glover, and Lateef Adedimeji) maintained his fragility, soft speech, and gentle soul.
—Kudos to the costume designers who gradually transitioned the quality of outfits as the characters progressed in life
—The soundtracks were simply 😘😘😘

Bland
—Strangers was presented more like a documentary than a film with many timestamps. The B-rolls were repetitive and didn’t enrich the storytelling. The movie could have had strong and inspiring dialogues in order to leave a big impact.
Chris Iheuwa and Ndamo Damarise (playing the Macaulay couple) were strugglinggg to deliver their French lines, making us wonder why the need to even be French speakers in the script?😓
—Lateef Adedimeji, the main actor, only got to be seen at 1h16min into the movie, so much that we forgot he was even part of it
—The lighting and color grading were unfortunately poor making the visuals not so appealing.
Additionally, continuity wasn’t properly carried out, e.g. there was a scene where teenager Ade was crying and the friend comforting him got replaced by another person

Viewers’ Guide
Language none  Violencenone Intimacy none

Trailer

Available on
(Audio: Yoruba, English; English Subtitles: Yes)