Everything Is New Again, directed by Chinaza “Naz” Onuzo, is a mature romantic drama that centres on Funmi, a 45-year-old Lagos interior designer played by Mercy Aigbe. After navigating divorce and public humiliation, she enters a relationship with Ekene, a 27-year-old photographer portrayed by Vine Olugu.
The film explores age-gap romance from a woman’s perspective and frames love as meaningful yet impermanent. Supporting roles include Nancy Isime as Funmi’s friend and Gbemi Akinlade as her teenage daughter, Eniola. The film arrives with quiet confidence and emotional generosity, but uneven writing and dialogue keep it from fully delivering on its thoughtful intentions.
Everything Is New Again
Directed by: Chinaza “Naz” Onuzo
Written by: Nicole Chikwe
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released on: January 30, 2025 (Cinemas)
Language: English
A Story of Reinvention and Unconventional Romance
The narrative follows Funmi as she rebuilds her life after a painful divorce. She meets Ekene, and their connection grows into something unexpected and complex. The film refuses to judge the age difference or reduce the relationship to cliché. Instead, it presents love as a moment that can be real without needing to be forever. Funmi’s journey is one of rediscovery, reclaiming confidence, facing vulnerability, and learning to let go when the time comes.
The story resists easy moralising. It allows inconvenient feelings to exist without heavy-handed condemnation. Romance here is a chapter shaped by timing, choice, and mutual need. Scenes with friends and family ground the emotional stakes, offering glimpses of warmth and relatability amid the heavier moments.
Themes of Timing, Choice, and Letting Go
The film understands that love later in life is rarely neat. It explores insecurity, emotional dependence, and the bravery required to embrace something unconventional. Funmi’s arc carries the weight of reinvention moving beyond shame and societal expectation toward self-acceptance. The generational contrast between Funmi and her teenage daughter adds texture, highlighting how different life stages shape views on love and worth.
The relationship between Funmi and Ekene is treated with maturity. It is not idealised or demonised. The film asks what happens when two people meet at different points in life and still find meaning in each other. It handles the theme of impermanence with care, suggesting that some connections matter even if they do not last.
Performances That Elevate the Material
Mercy Aigbe anchors Everything Is New Again with quiet assurance. She brings credibility to Funmi’s journey, balancing confidence with vulnerability. The role demands lived-in emotional depth, and Aigbe delivers it naturally. Viewers accustomed to her work in Yoruba-language films may notice the shift to a contemporary, English-speaking urban character, but she settles comfortably into the rhythm.
Vine Olugu holds his own as Ekene. His physical presence is part of the appeal, but what stands out is his emotional availability. In softer, sincere moments, he matches the film’s tone without strain. Nancy Isime adds levity as Funmi’s friend, grounding heavier scenes with humour. Gbemi Akinlade is convincingly natural as the teenage daughter, reinforcing the generational contrast. The supporting cast is solid, though some characters feel underwritten, hinting at a richer ensemble story constrained by the script’s narrower focus.
Technical Choices That Serve Atmosphere
Cinematography and production design create a warm, lived-in Lagos setting. Interiors feel authentic to an interior designer’s world: tasteful, personal, and reflective of Funmi’s profession. Lighting is soft and intimate in emotional scenes, supporting the film’s gentle tone. The overall look is polished and inviting, prioritising comfort over bold experimentation.
Sound and music are used conservatively, allowing dialogue and silence to carry the mood. The film avoids heavy-handed cues, letting quieter moments breathe. Editing keeps the pace steady, focusing on character interactions rather than rapid cuts. The technical execution is competent and understated, aligning with the film’s aim to feel intimate and reflective.
Final Thoughts
Everything Is New Again arrives with a sincere intention: to treat late-life love with maturity and nuance. It resists easy answers and allows complicated feelings to exist without apology. The film understands that romance can be meaningful even when it is temporary. Its heart is generous, and its ideas are thoughtful. Yet the execution does not always match the ambition. Dialogue often announces emotions rather than letting them emerge naturally.
Romantic beats lean on familiar shorthand instead of earning their weight. Conflict is gestured toward rather than fully explored. For viewers who value intent and emotional subtext, the film feels affirming and quietly brave.
For those who need tighter logic and deeper character motivation, it can feel hollow or overwritten. The divide is real, but neither response is wrong. The film wants to say something important about love, age, and letting go. It does not always know how to say it convincingly, but the effort itself carries value.
Verdict
Everything Is New Again suits viewers who appreciate mature romance and emotional subtext over tight plotting. It offers warmth, relatability, and a rare perspective on age-gap love from a woman’s point of view. Sincere but uneven.
Rating: 2.25/5
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