Before Valentine
Set in a high-end salon, Before Valentine tries to dazzle viewers with what the Valentine season is all about (love and lovers), but, it ultimately doesn't succeed at this.
Before Valentine doesn't bring anything new to love, and even the themes it tries to raise are done in a lackluster manner. The events in this movie are mundane, but the setting and aesthetics they're displayed in come off plastic and out of reach. It also seems like the nigerian-ness has been sucked out of it, making it less relatable and that leaves it in a tricky situation seeing as it's not Nigerian enough and also not western enough.
There are also various suspend your belief moments scattered around in the movie that are off-putting. The subplot of Sugar's mum and the supposed robbery and how it's concluded are very unbelievable; it's also incredibly hilarious how we're meant to believe that the hairdressers were stuck making those hairstyles for their clients for the whole day. Trying to cram all the events of the movie into one day was highly detrimental to the movie.
In all, Before Valentine is a light hearted movie about love, friendship and human connections, but, if you're looking for something new or even gripping, it doesn't deliver on that.
