‘The House of Secrets’ is a well executed movie that cuts across various themes such as betrayal, patriotism, deceit and power. A team is tasked to ensure that a woman remembers her past for them to have access to a secret that only she can reveal. This is a story that gets you glued to your seat with your eyes fixed on the screen without literally blinking. You are so much into the movie that you can’t turn your neck to listen to a friend who is whispering a juicy gossip into your ear. You are assured of an absolute satisfaction, and a time well spent in sitting through the 2 hours movie.
‘The House of Secrets’ follows the story of Sarah wonderfully played by Najite Dede and her patriotic military officer Panam played by Shawn Faqua. For a military man to be speechless in front of a woman for a good number of minutes should give you an idea of how real and instant their love is. Panam was instantly blown away by the beauty and charm of Sarah who works at the post office. The two were sure their love for each other will last forever, until Panam chanced on a sensitive secret that will turn out to be the beginning of their problems.
The movie opens on the now aged Sarah in front of a typewriter typing her daily love tales of two love birds for a column in the newspaper. She is surrounded by people who we later get to know that they are all working for Mrs. Lawal (Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi) who is tasked to make Sarah remember her past. Sarah is diagnosed by Dr. Badmus (Femi Jacobs) to be suffering from dissociative amnesia as a result of the trauma she had to go through. The secret buried in Sarah’s memory has the potential of ruining the presidential ambitions of a power retired military General. The General knowing this will have to take measures to ensure that the secret remains buried in Sarah’s mind dead or alive.
This thrilling movie is directed by Niyi Akinmolayan, who masterfully brings the story to life with his confident and intelligent directing style. Niyi keeps the tension and tempo of the movie so high. The secrets are buried in more secrets which are revealed one after the other making the experience thrilling and enjoyable. The brilliant use of flashbacks by Niyi answers all the questions you have about the characters. I must also commend the director of photography Barnabas Emordi for the seamless camera movements and the entire composition of the movie. The editing style of the movie is brilliant, the use of match cuts and other techniques really made the movie a delight to watch. I can’t also overlook the genius work done by the sound team. The sound scoring is great, heightens the tension and increases the satisfaction.
I must also with a standing ovation give a big hand of applause to Najite Dede for her impeccable portrayal of the character Sarah. Najite playing the role of a woman who suffers from dissociative amnesia as a result of past experiences is just a delight to watch. She wholeheartedly embodied the character to perfection. I must also credit the writers for giving the character a great backstory and a lot to work with. Every member of the ensemble put up classic performances. Shawn Faqua showed why he is a master at this game. He poured out his heart in playing the role of Panam. His dialogue delivery was effortlessly.
‘The House of Secrets’ is worth your time 100%. This is as a result of the hardworking cast, especially the performance of Najite. Despite the brilliant work done by the crew, the movie falls short in two forms. The first is the unnecessary prolonging of scenes especially the flashbacks. And the second has to do with a scene in the final act of the movie. A house is burning, smoke engulfs everywhere, yet the characters were able to stand in the smoke covered area for a good amount of time. The fact that they are coughing does not negate the effects of the smoke on them. You will have to be a superhero to stand and breathing in smoke for that amount of time.
However, the beautiful display of perfection and professionalism by the ensemble covers the short falls mentioned above. You will not even notice them, because of the thrills, drama, suspense and the tension in the movie. ‘The House of Secrets’ is a must watch.
