Movie proves you don't need tons of locations to make a compelling movie

chibumga izuzu

December 8, 2016 11:25 AM

Shirley Frimpong-Manso's "Rebecca" is a two-cast, one-location and over an hour movie which you would find engaging.

When you get to hear about a film set entirely in a single location, your first thought would have to be "boring."

But with the 2015 movie "Rebecca," Shirley Frimpong-Manso proves you don't need series of locations to shoot a captivating and enthralling movie.

The Ghanaian filmmaker successfully directed a movie in a single location and confined environment with the characters cut off from the rest of the world.

Unlike one-location movies like "12 Angry Men," "Rebecca" is a one-hour-twenty six minutes and two-cast movie shot in one location.

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The movie which features Joseph Benjamin and Yvonne Okoro pays much attention to casting, characters, narrative detail and retains a theatrical feel. There are no flashbacks, just the characters taking viewers through their journey with verbal and action sequences.

Abandoned and lost in the middle of a deserted road, an egotistic proper city guy (Clifford) gets a rude awakening when he begins to realize that his only companion, a timid looking village girl (Rebecca) who he had been forced to marry only a few hours earlier, is anything but ordinary.

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Frimpong-Manso elevates the movie to enthralling just by picking the right location and making it a narrative device. The movie speaks to how far a talented director can reach with just the right location and story.

Everything happens in a Range Rover and its limited environs, as Clifford and Rebecca find a way to survive until help comes their way. The camera work is stellar, keeping everything close and creating a sense of tension and claustrophobia.

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Despite featuring just two actors in one location for over an hour, "Rebecca" offers a thrilling, engaging atmosphere and narrative that makes it one of the best. It even attempts humour; humour which you might find crass or intelligent.

As you watch, you're anxious to know the couple's fate. You are grinning at their chemistry. You love their sex under the rain. You're amazed at Fripong-Manso's creative direction. You're surprised at how such a movie kept your attention for over an hour.

Above all, you are impressed.

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