BLOOD SISTERS: A BLOODY AFFAIR; WHEN IS IT RIGHT TO KILL A MAN? (A REVIEW)

If class and style were a movie, it would be Blood Sisters; A bloody affair. The movie, from the first scene to the last, gave off a vibe that can only be matched by the best of Hollywood.

The four-part series was released May 5, 2022 and I gather, it was a collaboration of Netflix and Mo Abudu through her media company, Ebonylife TV. Blood Sisters was directed by Biyi Bandele and Kenneth Gyang. And Ebonylife really outdid itself on this one.

The first scene saw two ladies hurriedly burying a corpse. Then as the movie progresses the next few scenes, you begin to get a hint that this might be a case of sibling rivalry in a powerful family and that something nasty is about to happen anytime soon.

It unpeeledlike an onion of drama, Blood Sister did. Layer after layer, it was drama after drama. The suspense was nerve wrecking. You never can tell what is going to happen next.

The theme of physical and psychological abuse as a result of social differences between spouses is explored elaborately in Blood Sisters.

Whoever wrote this movie has done a very in-depth study on some of the dysfunctional behaviors synonymous with aristocratic families.

Well, it is about two young ladies, Sarah (played by Ini Dima-Okojie) and Kemi (played by Nancy Isime) caught in the middle of trying to find justice for killing the golden boy Kola (played by Deyemi Okanlawon) who Kemi shot accidentally as she was trying to stop him from strangulating her friend, Sarah (Ini Dima-Okojie)because she insisted she was ending their relationship just as the nick of their wedding. The same Kola who had just survived an assassination attempt from his elder brother’s Hitman who he single handedly accosted and handed over to the security.

Kate Henshaw’s character, Kola’s mum (Mrs Uduak Ademola), just kept making blunders while taking her lines in the first scenes and for whatever reason, she was not made to retake them. For instance, in the first season, there was a place where she said her son, Kola, “took to the hills” when she was supposed to say, “took to his heels”. In season two, she said “I mean nothing to you, do you understand…” when she was supposed to say, “you mean nothing to me…” I guess the artiste director was too star-struck by her to direct her aright.

Then, just when you thought the girls had escaped notice, a wedding photographer shows up to Kemi with photos of when they were moving Kola’s body and expressed an intent to blackmail the girls. This movie is really a classic.

I suspect a touch of Hollywood in this movie and for the fact that it was a collaboration with Netflix, that explained the excellent twists and suspenses in the movie which were so professional. I wanted to contest with Inspector Joe in my mind with his assertion that the killing of Kola was “a professional hit”, then I recalled a little detail earlier on in the movie when the Empress of the Big Pharma in the movie requested that all the rooms be cleaned up to remove every trace of Sarah and that Kemi, her friend had made sure they wore gloves while they handled Kola’s corpse.

Okay, let’s talk about the Ramsey Nouah character, Uncle B; the silent bodyguard/Hitman/stone cold badass with no conscience of the Ademola Pharma Dynasty. He could not have looked any meaner or acted any colder. Ramsey really gave me the creeps with his character. Thank Goodness he kept his hair as he would have been way more scary if he had kept a bald head.

I think everything is wrong with that scene where the two friends turned sisters were talking about leaving when it dawned on them that they really did not cover their tracks well. The suspense was overdone. I mean, I was literally sitting on the edge of my chair and holding my breath as the camera panned between the police station where the hotel receptionist brought Inspector Joe a footage showing where the two ladies were stuffing the packaged corpse of Kola into Kemi’s red Toyota ‘Spider’.

Trust me, Nigerians really know how to give last respects to the dead. This fact was done justice to in episode 3 of the movie. The beauty, music and glamour that the rich put into burying their dead can make one wish to die just to experience same. Ah Ah. Another prevalent thing about Blood Sisters is the way Igbo language and Yoruba language, two prominent languages of Nigeria were used eloquently and freely in the communication of the characters. The movie is one movie that takes you into Nigeria even if you are not from here or ever been here.

There is a bit of the pieces that you pick about the Ademola dark secrets. That Kola is not really an Ademola and the reason Mrs Uduak Ademola was mean to Timeyin, her only daughter and first son who is now in charge of the empire contrary to her wish.

Blood Sisters made me develop a new car crush. What’s the name of that car Ramsey Nouah’s character used? It looks like a Vintage Cadillac. The revving of the engine gave me a hard on.

Kenny’s love for Sarah is one to cry for. Omo!!! The guy loved her to pieces. I am sure he must have really stirred some butterflies in the bellies of many ladies; with his red lips and boyish face, complete with an empty pocket too. Fine boy, no money picture perfect.

Then there is the Kola’s best man and Kemi’s thing. Kemi’s weak side is revealed as she calls him to make a full confession of the crime. He seems not impressed and tells her,”I hope they catch you and Sarah and lock you up and throw away the keys.”

Uncle B gets to the girls first where they were hiding in a place that looks like those communities that live on top of water under third mainland bridge. There is an altercation and Uncle B is knocked out by one of the girls. Kemi pours fuel on him and lights him up alongside the shank they were in as they make their escape. Somehow Uncle B is rescued.

The orientation that a typical Nigerian policeman gave to the Chi town returnee cop and detective really got me reeling in mirth. He said, “You are too serious with this case. Remember the elephant o (pointing at the elephant in the police logo) Slow and steady unless you are getting paid.” This explained the message the movie was passing when it had Mrs Uduak Ademola passing huge amount of dollar notes to the police chief just to expedite action on the murder case.

But it gets even more intriguing. It becomes crystal clear why Mrs Ademola is interested in pinning the murder on the girls. Her family is cursed by her infidelity and the blood of her husband in her hands. Good prevails and the movie ends with a question; did Timeyin finally shoot her mother?

Blood Sisters; a bloody affair is an excellent movie and I would have given it a 5 over 5 but for those negligible blunders by Kate Henshaw.

By O’star Eze