Mother of George – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

Overview

Mother of George maybe beautifully shot and have an interesting story, but it may not hold your attention.

Trigger Warning(s): Animal Death on Camera

Review (with Spoilers) – Below

Characters & Story

After a lavish wedding, Adenike (Danai Gurira) and Ayodele (Isaach De Bankolé) are now expected to have kids and they are having trouble doing so. Something which Ma (Bukky Ajayi) is well aware of, and is so upset about that she gives the type of advice most women would hate to hear. So all Adenike can do is turn to her friend Sade (Yaya DaCosta), and brother-in-law Biyi (Anthony Okungbowa) to provide distractions, advice, and solutions. Of which lead to even more troubles.

Praise

When it comes to the clothes Adenike wears, and how Gurira is shot by the camera, there is such beauty that it is hard to not be mesmerized. Focusing on the characters and story, though, I must admit I found myself so curious about the culture clash presented in the film. For with Sade you can see someone who us almost fully Americanized, then you have Adenike who is in the middle, and then Ma who basically still thinks and lives her life as she would if she was back home. With these three distinct personalities and ways of looking at life, it presents the most intriguing part of the plot. To the point, I wish their difference were the focus more than Adenike’s infertility.

Criticism

While Adenike is made into a sympathetic character with the expectations of her culture on her shoulders, I have to admit I grew bored of her troubles quickly. Be it because watching her and Ayodele in the same scene was boring, and their sex didn’t liven things up, or just because she only focused on getting pregnant. For with the culture clash, her wanting to work, and other interesting plots presented, and surely worth exploring, being ignored, I felt the one track storyline just wasn’t made to be a sole focus.

Overall: TV Viewing

Mother of George has interesting storylines within the film, but unfortunately, they aren’t explored. Leaving you with what surely is a decent dramatic story, dealing with Adenike’s pursuit of getting pregnant, but with De Babkolé just not being the type of actor who is engaging, or presents Ayodele as someone you want to pay attention to and invest in, he makes that storyline dead in the water. Hence the TV Viewing label for the one plot the film focuses on is the one which should have been just one of many focuses when it came to Adenike’s story.