Hazel Balogun (Teniola Aladese) is a business development executive who jumps from one job application to another after being laid off from her former job. As the film portrays, Hazel has no cordial business relationship with her former employers, which makes it difficult for them to write a recommendation letter for her to get a new job. While hunting for work, she stays with Sims and romps with men just to keep herself busy.
Eventually, she gets a job as a personal assistant with CHAM Services, a job far beneath her qualifications, but as long as it pays the bills and keeps her from being evicted from Sims’ apartment, she puts up with it. There and then, she meets Omari Mborie (Deyemi Okanlawon), the son of the CEO of CHAM Services, Erie Mborie. Omari becomes her new boss following the handover of his mother’s role to him.
In With Love, Hazel, the subplot shines on Omari and his daughter, Soraya (Marcela Aipoh), who are still grieving the loss of his wife and Soraya’s mother. Coincidentally, this is also when Hazel is trying to get her boss’s attention by dressing seductively to the office and casting glances at him, all of which Omari never pays attention to. What is striking is that the first time Hazel gets a semblance of respect from her boss is when she starts proving her worth. The movie subtly suggests that sometimes, if beauty does not get you noticed, intelligence will.
The characters, Omari, Hazel, Soraya, and Susan, ate their cake without leaving any crumbs. Teniola, as Hazel is so captivating in this role, and the interesting part is that even in real life, she comes across as a free-spirited, sexy, badass who is confident and feisty and does not give a hoot about what anyone thinks. And the character that Deyemi played is so wonderfully the opposite of her, calm, steady, focused, responsible, yet so sexy and appealing too. Like he is the yin to her yang, a classic case of opposites attracting. The standout performance, for me, however, comes from Soraya, who’s also acted in Serpent Gift as Cynthia and as Ela in Night Walker. Her emotions were raw, heartfelt, and deeply relatable.
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One of the most striking and memorable aspects of the film is the emotional exchange between Soraya and her father, Omari. It forms the emotional core of the story and marks the point where the film truly comes into its own. What makes this moment particularly powerful is the quiet question it poses to the audience. Why do we so often wait until someone is facing a terminal illness before expressing our love fully? Why does the awareness of impending loss suddenly make us more open, patient, and emotionally present?
The film does not answer this directly but instead invites reflection. It challenges us to consider why love is sometimes withheld until time feels limited, and why we do not choose to love openly and consistently while we still can.
What I also love about this movie is the portrayal of a female alpha, a woman with both beauty and brains. It feels just perfect. Adding the fact that she craves good sex and is a dominant presence in the relationship is incredibly inspiring. She knows what she wants and always goes for it, and most importantly, she is direct when she talks about her feelings and does not hide her personality or emotions. And can we talk about Omari and Hazel’s first intimate scene? Of course, I have been rewatching it over and over again. The intensity of Omari and Hazel’s chemistry is so impressive and unbelievable. The outfits, the acting, the décor, everything was amazing. I can’t forget to mention how showing her vulnerable side when she realises she is already in love and cannot forget him melts my heart. She proves that she is also a sensitive person and is capable of giving love in return. In Hazel, we see a woman who wants good sex and does not give a hoot about people thinking it is immoral to have different partners and enjoy herself. So yes, this movie lifts Nollywood beyond the stereotypical labeling of women as promiscuous.
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However, With Love, Hazel does not give us a neat resolution, and maybe that is intentional. How will Omari deal with getting married to his friend’s past lover, even after Hazel tells him she has apologised? In exploring this situation, I love how the movie presents hurt, forgiveness, and life as never being simply black or white. There is always a shade of grey. As much as Alex, Omari’s friend, needed to hear the apology, Alex was never going to be in the equation. That is why humans are in constant conflict with themselves when selfishness and compassion collide. Now she has something worth fighting for in Omari, and apologising to Alex is the barest minimum. The complexity of life is astoundingly infuriating, but we wake up each day to deal with it.
A moving performance, excellent casting, and a meaningful message come together to create a film that stays with you.
With Love, Hazel is streaming on Bolaji Ogunmola’s TV on YouTube.
