4:4:44 (2022) User Reviews

So much potential lost

[ngandacinema · 1/10 · 2 January 2023]

4-4-44's trailer was more exciting than the actual movie to our great surprise and sadness...It seemed like the crew sabotaged themselves being unable to deliver a proper production.

DELICIOUS

-Nse Ikpe-Etim and Idorenyin Essien saved the day!

Nse's mental illness moments were believable and Idorenyin's quietness was painful to watch

-4-4-44 was a story that needed to be told so we could have an idea of how mental illness gravely affects a family and how society reacts to it

BLAND

-The audio was not refined and at times barely audible. The ADR recordings weren't properly mixed that they were clearly detectable

-We were told about the event of April 04, '44 only after an hour into the movie and that was done very rapidly. I mean this is the title of the film, this day should have been presented in a memorable manner, providing enough details to have a full scope of how everything unfolded

-So many things to say about the flawed technicality which jeopardized the movie big time. The editing of green screen shots was poorly executed that we could tell the images were fake.

-Acting was passable and dialogues were basic without enriching the plot.

Nigeria restores faith in people

[pijawski · 8/10 · 28 December 2022]

The creators managed to do something extraordinary - the story of boundless love between a man entangled in financial problems and a mentally ill woman was shown in a warm, hopeful, even joyful way. The unhurried narration, juicy colors, economical stage design and simple dialogues do not diminish the skilfully built tension. What's more, the honesty of the characters does not make the plot naive. We have received a world-class cinema with a story that gives faith in people without using pompous means so typical of Hollywood productions.

Additional applause is due to the creators for avoiding the temptation to expose colonial or independence threads. They are skillfully interwoven in a thought-provoking but not overbearing way, like the stories heard in the background from the radio that accompanies us in the first minutes of the film. This is also a great advantage of the film - we can easily immerse ourselves in a family story that really happened.

Hidden Gem on Netflix

[farmerolive-02764 · 9/10 · 8 November 2023]

A very unique love story, told in the style of consuming an artichoke. In that, only after peeling off many leaves to nibble on does the truth of the story reveal itself. And it's heartbreaking. I must admit I almost didn't finish the movie because I couldn't figure out what was going on. So stick with it, this is an amazing film and story. What I really loved about it was the window of opportunity to to see a slice of life in Nigeria circa 1940's and up since I'll probably never get to visit in my lifetime.

The acting is superb. The young Hillarys - Seun Akindele and Efe Irele will steal your heart they are so sweet and devoted. The more mature Hillarys give tour de force performances.

A rare film and a must see!