Sparrow In Corporate Premiere

Unlike the usual trend where the media alone gets to first watch the movie and spread information about it, Sparrow Productions last Saturday held an executive premiere at the Silverbird Cinema in Accra for high profile executives of corporate organizations and the media. Guests included the staff and management of Merchant Bank and Kasapa, both major sponsors of the movie. It is not yet known how much money Sparrow Productions made from its last movie, �Perfect Picture�, but with this new plan, �A Sting In A Tale� is anticipated to be a more successful movie, and is expected to rake in more than its predecessor did. Movie-goers at the premiere on Saturday accepted the movie with much delight and greeted most scenes with a lot of laughter as the movie�s diction is well styled. �A Sting In A Tale� tells a twisted tale of two unemployed graduates who embark on a journey to make it in a world where one needs more than what he or she has to get what he or she wants. Kuuku (Adjetey Anang) is overwhelmed by the urgency to succeed and frantically searches for a reward to his several years of school. Frustrated and constantly reminded of his failure by the presence of his girlfriend, Frema, played by Lydia Forson, Kuuku will do anything to make the odds work in his favour. Nii Aryee (Majid Michel), Kuuku�s sober-looking friend, is more positive about the future until the rejection letters begin to mount and his landlord comes to town. Driven by the fear of poverty, these two friends go in search of a destiny that takes them to the most obscure places. In a tale where the unexpected is always lurking in the shadows, from the natural to the supernatural, among all ploys, grief and struggles, nothing prepares you for the sting, in a rather bizarre ending which makes the movie a tragi-comedy. Even though the storyline is obviously not new, the writer�s handling of it is worthy of praise. While the central idea ranges from perseverance to tests of friendship, betrayal, love and faith, the plot is jumbled up. Events are narrated and acted such that references are made to add more meaning to what is happening or being said. Simply put, the movie starts somewhere in the middle through to the beginning, to the end, and back to the beginning. A rather witty movie, one may say. The diction is simple, comical and is clearly targeted at the ordinary person. The setting also made arguable use of Ghana�s culture. Drinking of local �pito�, music from VIP and Sarkodie and costumes are such examples. Actors� output is exhilarating as usual. However, the movie�s picturesque output did not meet the standard Sparrow has already set with its previous movies. But the production house promised to restore that during subsequent screenings. In a short interview with BEATWAVES, Shirley Frimpong-Manso described the movie as different. �We didn�t want to tell the usual everyday story. We want to tell a different story and I think by people�s reactions we have achieved that aim. We took a simple story and made it into a very exciting story, I think. I heard people laughing and obviously they love it�. The movie will be premiered at the Conference Centre in Accra on Friday and Saturday. Subsequently, it will be shown at the Silverbird Cinema and then taken out of Ghana, she disclosed.Lydia Forson, on her part, said it was nerve-wracking for her to prove her acting capability as she has to replace her customary smiles with a sad face. Adjetey Anang, aka Pusher, who was full of joy, told BEATWAVES that even though the movie was challenging, he is happy to have worked with fellow actors Majid Michel and Abeiku Acquah with whom he debuted in Things We Do For Love. The rest of the cast includes Doris Sackitey, Joselyn C-Dumas, Abeiku Acquah, David Oscar and Kwabena Boateng.