Postcards is a Netflix series that follows the lives of four Nigerians in India.
I did not like this series. While I understand that some people would argue that this film is an exploration of two different cultures, I can’t say they did a fantastic job showcasing either the Indian or the Nigerian culture. So, this does not count as a plus for them.
Issues?
It had no business being a series; they did nothing that deserved more than 90 minutes watch time.
Acting and Casting did not work for me. Postcards is a project that featured all the wrong artists. As individuals, these actors are great but together in this film, it was just a big no.
With Sola Sobowale, we saw her perform her typical Yoruba woman role. The character was not fresh or interesting. I think she forgot that she was not Eniola Salami in this film because why did she scream like that when they told her about the surgery? I was thoroughly confused! She went all the way to India for a proper diagnosis and surgery, so what was the drama about??
Tobi Bakare was too old for the role of Yemi. He did not look like a young boy trying to gain admission into the university while pursuing dreams of grandeur; he looked, moved, and spoke like a 30+ man; he couldn’t even dance!
I need them to let RMD rest.
Even if you people refuse to agree with me, I have said it before and I will say it again that Rahama acts only one character in all her films; her facial expressions, her attitude, it is always the same no matter the role. In this particular film, it seemed she was not even sure what accent to use; she just kept on switching. Her attempt to speak Indian was not lost on me but it did nothing for me.
Nancy Isime and Ibrahim Suleiman..no comment but I need to just mention that Nancy went all the way to India to do “waka pass”??? It was ridiculous. She had no business being in this film.
Moving on, the story itself was a problem, it was everywhere. Disjointed and unexciting. I was on Episode 3 and I was still not sure where this series was going. Plot progression was terrible. At some point, they would focus on one person and completely forget about the others……It got to a stage; I was so sure Aunty Bunmi was dead because they completely went silent about her for a long period of time.
The movie setting was not great. For a film that was specifically produced to position India, I don’t think it did a good job. We did not get to see much of the country and the people. I thought Yemi would explore the city or a particular attraction site, that’s always the point of shooting a movie abroad. Nancy Isime visited India for 2 days and I thought she would be the one to show us this but no, they went to a corner store to test some ugly outfits and that was it. This film could have been shot in Nigeria. Even the luxury hotel where Aunty Bunmi stayed was not “luxurying”.
Character development was also poor. The interaction between the different characters was also an issue. For example, Yemi started as a normal hustling Lagos guy but the moment he landed in India he suddenly became an illiterate, with horrible eating etiquette. Who thought it was okay to make it seem like the Indians had more class and exposure than him???
In the bid to position India, I fear they made it seem like the Nigerian was inferior because what do you mean he put a serving spoon in his mouth??
Mr. Olumide was a bitter and mean person and when they wanted to show his personality change, it was not gradual, it just happened immediately. I found that weird too.
Also, I found it concerning that all the Nigerians in this film just happened to know themselves; India is a big country and so is Nigeria.
On the matter of interactions, there was no chemistry between Zainab and her husband, it was like they couldn’t even stand themselves, even when they showed us cozy scenes, I could not see the hint of the friendship or romance they claim they used to have. Isioma and Zainab did not feel like they were friends, the forced laughter and cheerfulness did not fool anyone. What was that thing between Yemi and the dancing girl? Was that supposed to be a budding romance? 😭
Plot progression was also disappointing because it seemed everything was being unnecessarily exaggerated. The dance that took Yemi to India? Weak. The main dance rehearsals and the final performance? A mess. The sickness that took Aunty Bunmi to India did not seem serious enough. The woman that did not want a child? Unnecessarily dramatic. Olumide’s bitterness and his tragic love story? Another unnecessary drama.
There were no high points, everything was just flat.
When Yemi finally met his mother, I did not feel any form of excitement for them, when they eventually revealed why Olumide was being nasty it did nothing for me. Zainab’s eventual pregnancy? Bleh. What were they looking for the property for?
The final parts of this series were even more annoying.
Not only was the dinner set up very tacky, screaming low budget, but Everything that happened at that dinner table dinner table should be thrown away because it was so ewwwwww.
Postcards is a 6-episode advert to sell India and its people but I’m afraid this project was too incompetent, cliche-ridden to sell anything to me. It was not a good watch for me. The most beautiful thing about the film was the end credits rolling – because it meant the ordeal was finally over.
My Rating: 2.3/10
Have you seen the movie, please share your thoughts with us in the comments below
Read the review of When Love Strikes.
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