Lionheart: A New Nollywood

    For as long as i can remember, Nollywood films always lacked the complete package, if there was a great story, there would be bad acting, bad music or in most cases even a horrible script. Basically what i'm saying is, no matter how ambitious most Nigerian films tried to be, there would always be some form of setback that stops the film from realizing its full potential. Although, in recent years, Nigerian films have become quite good and i have really been impressed by the fast growth. In a film industry filled with parody films and unoriginal movies with annoying jokes, Lionheart dared to be different and stay cling to its Nigerian root rather than try to be fancy and unauthentic.

   Directed by Genevieve Nnaji,the film tells the tale of a fictional transport company called "Lionheart" which is run by Chief Earnest Obiagu and his daughter Adaeze(played by the director) who is hardworking,ambitious and simply wants her father's company to get elevated to the next level. When Chief Obiagu gets a health scare, he enlists his Younger brother Chief Godswill Obiagu instead of his daughter to run his company in his absence. This decision seriously affects Adaeze and causes her to believe her gender might be the issue why but even at that,she supports and agrees to assist her very "energetic" uncle run the company in the mean time. During this time, they find out Chief Earnest had collected a massive loan from several banks without his board's approval. This puts the company in Jeopardy and at the clutches of being bought out by Lionheart's rival CEO the very diabolical, Igwe Pascal. With Lionheart on the line, Adaeze and her uncle must think of a way to save their company from being bought out by Igwe Pascal's company.

Why i like this film is because, unlike other big budget Nigerian films, this one doesn't try to imitate american or european films instead, it represents Nigerian culture from start to finish by infusing Igbo and English naturally. Not only that, the cast comprises of a group of diverse Nigerian actors as well as being set in Enugu, one of the strongest states in the East. Every thing here will be very familiar to Nigerians while also welcoming foreign viewers rather than Alienating them which i really respect and love. I feel really happy that Netflix acquired this film because it was a really good deal, they purchased the film for three million dollars which is about one billion Naira.

  
  In conclusion, Lionheart is a really enjoyable experience, from beautiful performances from veterans like Nkem Owoh,Pete Edochie and Onyeka Onwenu and even surprisingly convincing acting from Phyno(although he's barely in it) to, the story, relevance of the plot and its themes of family and togetherness, Lionheart is sure to keep you entertained from start to finish with its whole enjoyable and "feel good" vibe. If you liked this post, do not forget to leave a comment down below as well as sharing it with your friends, family and enemies.