There’s something about Voltage that doesn’t sit right. On the surface, it seems like a commendable attempt to address corruption in Nigeria’s power sector. However, its approach to storytelling is confusing and disjointed, making it difficult to grasp the story’s core. While Nollywood films tackling topical issues, such as Offshoot and Deafening Silence, struggle particularly with infusing the human angle, Voltage succeeds.

However, it does so in a try-hard manner. It aims to illustrate how corruption affects the layman but gets lost in its narrative approach. This leaves viewers disconnected and questioning the film’s purpose.

Story

At the heart of the story is a young man, Tega, who is recently burdened with the care of his sick mother. She is worried about her health and insists that Tega replace her on the board of the family business. This business, Dagogo Marine and Engineering, is headed by his late father’s best friend.

Tega, a socially conscious young man, quickly realizes that his family business is a cesspit of corruption and a warehouse of everything wrong with Nigeria’s power sector.

The story is interesting, and brimming with potential as it addresses a prevalent and heart-wrenching issue affecting every Nigerian. It’s a Nigerian story that promises to resonate deeply with viewers by tackling the topical issue of poor electricity distribution in the country. While the film does a fair job of touching on this angle, it is not its central focus. Instead, it evolves into a power tussle among those within the sector, albeit with the average man ostensibly at heart.

Plot

The film follows Tega as he confronts a ruthless oil cartel to expose the truth behind power outages and their devastating impacts on Nigerian society. The plot is easy to follow, but it lacks a means of engagement. The filmmakers attempted to address this by interestingly introducing characters and splitting the film into Acts and some playful editing.

However, this approach didn’t fit the genre, with its speedy appearances failing to create a deeper connection with the audience.

The Cinema Experience

For its genre, Voltage failed to create an adrenaline rush even with the action sequences. At various points, the audience reacted more to the convenience of certain situations rather than the intended suspense. There were moments when the characters’ actions prompted accusations of stupidity from viewers.

Ultimately, the film left us with a collective sense of indifference. We walked away thinking, “Meh, we’ve watched the movie. What did we learn?” The film’s disinteresting explanation—”They were the charge… we are the voltage”

However, the sound quality in the cinema heightened the suspense feelings. One of the best attributes of the film was its careful sound design and good sound quality. Some sound effects, like doors creaking and shoes clanking on tiled floors, were notably heightened, adding a layer of immersion despite the film’s other shortcomings.

Technical Aspects

Apart from the good sound design and quality, another strong point was its beautiful use of surroundings and ambient sounds. This added a natural quality to the audio. There was one moment that made me laugh, though—a character screamed, and it sounded like a Hanna-Barbera sound effect, which felt out of place.

The film boasted good cinematography, capturing the scenes with clarity and style. However, the editing left much to be desired. Slides and glides, reminiscent of a PowerPoint presentation, detracted from the cinematic experience. Even the interesting method of introducing characters felt rushed and poorly executed. Overall, the editing was hasty and lacked finesse.

The lighting wasn’t overall bad, but there were instances where it was problematic. In one night scene, the light flashed from an inexplicable source within the room, breaking the immersion and realism.

Performances

The performances in Voltage were a mixed bag. The film features a talented cast, including Kate Henshaw, Linda Osifo, Segun Arinze, Olumide Oworu, Kelvin Ikeduba, WhiteMoney, Keppy Ekpenyong, Jude Chukwuka, Aaron Sunday, Rotimi Adelegan, Ricardo Agbor, and Sunny McDon.

Kate Henshaw and Segun Arinze delivered solid performances, bringing depth and intensity to their roles. Linda Osifo and Olumide Oworu also stood out with their convincing portrayals, managing to evoke empathy despite the film’s shortcomings. Olumide Oworu, playing the protagonist Tega, performed well overall.

However, I couldn’t help but notice remnants of his character from A Tribe Called Judah, where he portrayed the typical last-born child. This typecast trait peeked through in his performance at times, but it didn’t detract significantly from his role in Voltage.

However, some performances felt flat and lacked the necessary emotional resonance to fully engage the audience. WhiteMoney and Kelvin Ikeduba, while charismatic, seemed underutilized, and their characters could have been developed further to enhance the story. The ensemble cast had the potential to elevate the film, but inconsistent character development and direction hindered their ability to shine.

Final Thoughts

Voltage presents itself as a commendable attempt to address corruption in Nigeria’s power sector but ultimately fails to deliver a cohesive and impactful narrative. The film’s storytelling approach is confusing and disjointed, making it difficult for viewers to grasp the core of the story. Despite some strengths like good sound design and cinematography, the overall cinematic experience lacks engagement and fails to create an adrenaline rush, even during action sequences.

While Voltage remains a watchable film, it struggles to fully capture and maintain audience interest throughout its runtime. The story’s focus on the few in positions of power may not resonate deeply with the average Nigerian viewer, who seeks narratives that more directly reflect their everyday lives and challenges.

This disconnect between the film’s storyline and audience expectations could contribute to lower turnout in cinemas, as not enough people may find the story compelling or relevant to their experiences.

Verdict

Voltage shows potential with its thematic focus and technical execution but falls short in delivering a coherent narrative that resonates broadly. The film’s strengths in sound design and cinematography are countered by issues with storytelling clarity and performance consistency.

Its thematic relevance may appeal to niche audiences interested in the power sector’s corruption issues, but its broader appeal and impact are limited by narrative shortcomings.

Rating: 2.5/5