I finally succumbed to watching Omoni Oboli’s Love In Every Word, and believe me, it was out of social pressure. Even with its fantastical foray into Nollywood’s ideal man, I must admit, the movie shattered my expectations about Nollywood romance movies and reinforced some of my long-held beliefs about love, relationships and marriage.
Love In Every Word opens with the story of a young, classy Lagos marketing executive, Chioma (Bamike “Bam Bam” Olawunmi-Adenibuyan), whose wasteful boyfriend, Davis, made her consider giving up on love. Like every other modern relationship, Chioma and Davis’ relationship is riddled with one-sided benefits. Davis sees Chioma as a young lady who has money to give so he can keep ‘investing’ it in forex — initially real estate, then dropshipping — all of which yield losses and no returns.
Chioma endures this relationship for two years until she has a reawakening: Davis will keep wasting her time if she doesn’t end it. The last straw that breaks the camel’s back is Davis losing her 5,000 US dollars in forex and requesting an additional 2,000 US dollars to bounce back. Chioma can’t take it anymore and strips him of every gift and token she has given. Why did Chioma endure Davis for two years? The answer lies right there in a line from one of Chioma’s friends: Davis is “athletic, ambitious, smoking hot, and has a good command of English.” That’s Chioma’s spec, every modern woman’s spec. But the only thing ambitious about Davis is his gambling addiction with Chioma’s hard-earned money. One key takeaway for me at this juncture, before the character of Odogwu (Uzor Arukwe) is introduced, is that what sustains any relationship is not athletic prowess, nor is it ‘hotness’ or impeccable use of English.
From the beginning, Odogwu, a middle-aged, wealthy businessman, comes across as a very assertive Igbo man. He knows what he wants and goes for it. Right from the moment he meets Chioma, he repeatedly says, “Achalugo, I am going to marry you,” much to my delight and chagrin because Odogwu sees marriage as a woman’s ultimate place to be. When I wonder what gives him such audacity, not even his wealth comes to mind. It is his character, portrayed as a very “intentional man, self-aware, and kind,” borrowing Chioma’s friend’s words.
Everything Odogwu does after meeting Chioma gears toward making her fall in love with him: showering her with lavish gifts, buying her workplace, taking her on expensive treats, and you name it. Even the strongest woman will fall at these grandest gestures. Odogwu is well aware of this and uses it with tactical brilliance. It takes just two events to make Chioma completely fall for him: his unexpected, Odogwu-style appearance at her office after flying in from Anambra to Lagos and a sumptuous dinner date. Her fall is evident in their passionate kiss and her eventual, though covert, willingness to let Odogwu have his way.
Odogwu, however, resisted in the guise of seeking true love. This is what Nollywood keeps selling us; truthfully, there’s a large market for it. In Love In Every Word, Oboli tries hard to portray Odogwu as the ideal man, but he will always remain a fictitious character and a perfect imagination in every woman’s roving mind, not a reality. In reality, it takes maybe once in a century for any woman to meet her Odogwu. And when she does, he is either rich and narcissistic, or wealthy and controlling, or rich and abusive, or all of the above. In reality, it is difficult, if not impossible, to find this Nollywood version of the ideal man without a steep cost. What Oboli offers is a fantasy, not a blueprint.
Also, Odogwu’s persistence in lavishing Chioma with gifts reinforces a problematic idea: that love can be bought. From the very moment Chioma follows him to his hotel and is evidently blown away, the tone is set. Odogwu may go after what he wants, but he does so because he has the tools — money, time, presence, and charisma. These are desirable qualities, yes, but they also expose a transactional undertone in romantic dynamics that Nollywood continues to normalise.
Tying her resistance to Odogwu’s “Igbotic English accent” and her family background — being labelled a bastard — doesn’t come across as convincing. It’s rather ludicrous, considering she’s already emotionally involved with Odogwu before these reasons are brought up. Her eventual claim that Odogwu reminds her of her father, whom she resents, feels more like a convenient plot device than a deeply explored psychological conflict.
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However, the use of Odogwu’s accent as a barrier is a subtle but important lesson. Many people, men and women alike, pursue shallowness when choosing a partner: physical beauty, a foreign accent, social class, or some image of “perfection.” These things are desirable, yes, but they don’t sustain a relationship in the long run.
While the movie is delightful to watch, with crisp cinematography, lush scenery, and elegant costume design, it lacks real suspense. It’s obvious that there are too many unnecessary scenes, yet they are beautiful enough to keep viewers watching. So, I wouldn’t say the producers failed in that area; after all, this is precisely what the target audience buys into. Also, the plot is highly predictable: Chioma is already emotionally leaning toward Odogwu even before he officially takes her out.
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I’ve always believed that only foolish people marry solely for love. Other things must count and infact, outweigh the consideration for love. Love In Every Word reinforces this belief. Both Odogwu and Chioma in this film are scheming, consciously or not. Odogwu wants an independent, classy, and ambitious woman. Chioma wants an ambitious, hot, athletic, well-spoken man. While Odogwu doesn’t quite fit into Chioma’s type because his accent stands out as a flaw, he compensates with determination and means. Chioma, on the other hand, keeps trying to shape her lovers into her ideal man. Isn’t that what some of us do in real life?
I’m not sure a woman cannot have it all — I believe she can. But the question is: how long is she willing to wait for the man who ticks all her boxes? Will she be unbending and fearless, like Sasha Snow or Billie Mann in Sex/Life? Or will she give in to the Odogwus of this world, men who come bearing gifts and persistence but still embody a trade-off?
Either way, Love In Every Word offers a seductive, beautifully packaged fantasy, one many will indulge in, even if just for two hours.
