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Movies & TV

The Arbitration

CTC D: Niyi Akinmolayan. Nigeria. 100 min. Sep 15, 5:45 pm, Scotiabank 4 Sep 16, 9:45 am, Scotiabank 3. Rating: NN


Director Akinmolayan said he made The Arbitration because women are entering the tech industry workforce in great numbers and deserve to be taken seriously.

Unfortunately, the best intentions don’t necessarily translate into a good film. Dara (Adesua Etomi) confronts her boss and ex-lover, Gbenga (O.C. Ukeje), at a private hearing, alleging that he raped her. Various flashbacks indicate that, though their original connection was consensual, Gbenga extracted sexual favours from Dara by offering her financial gain, and thenthe rape focus gives way to the question of whether Gbenga ripped her off.

Which is unfortunate, because dealing with the nuances of sexual coercion would have made for a much more fascinating film.

Despite a fine cast, including Iretiola Doyle as Gbenga’s lawyer and Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama as Dara’s, the rhythm of the piece feels awkward, and the camera lingers ways too long on reaction shots, seriously messing with the tone – audience members at the screening I attended tittered often. The sound is awful, with scenes recorded at inconsistent levels. At times, the actors can’t be heard.

Too bad, because this had the makings of a kick-ass movie.

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