Best movie performances of 2018 so far

chibumga izuzu

July 6, 2018 4:04 PM

Blossom Chukwujekwu, Adesua Etomi and other impressive movie performances of 2018 so far.

What has been your best movie performance of 2018 so far?

This year has already offered them all: quite a number of good ones, a lot of bad, and mostly, cringeworthy performances.

There are still many great performances expected to come in the second half of the year, but, for now, we are taking a look at the impressive performances from Nollywood actors in movies that were released before July 1, 2018.

Check them out, in no particular order:

1. Adesua Etomi

In "Date Night," Adesua Etomi is Lota, a young woman searching for her missing sister. She shares great chemistry with Deyemi Okanlawon, but it’s her ability to make a swift transformation from sweet and regular to almost psychotic that makes for the best part of her performance.

Occasionally overly dramatic, flawed and over the top, Etomi still delivers an impressive character with a fierce strength that refuses to be cowered.

Etomi's performance in "Date Night" is a psychological act that is as thrilling as it is mysterious.

2. Ebele Okaro

As a poor widow and mother of four in "Black Rose," Okaro effortlessly conveys her character’s kindness, toughness, maternal protectiveness and fear.

She is engaging, drawing viewers into the world of a woman confronted by circumstances beyond her control. She brings, as always, an incredible emotional depth to her pursuit of happiness in "Black Rose."

3. Blossom Chukwujekwu

As Desmond in "Black Rose," Chukwujekwu is the villain and the 'hero,' and he walks that line brilliantly, bringing equal measures of dread, intrigue and thoughtfulness to the character.

He becomes Desmond with such self-possession, making every gesture and word count. He is effortlessly as likeable and as unpleasant.

4. Lilian Echelon

As the titular character in Okechukwu Oku's "Black Rose," Echelon delivers a subtle interpretation of her character, surprisingly free of the kind of unnatural intensity that often ruins melancholic Nollywood films like "Black Rose."

She takes viewers on a journey with her raw, vulnerable and emotional performance, which earned her a well-deserved AMVCA Best Actress nomination.

5. Jemima Osunde

In "New Money," the character Toun isn't the easiest to root for. However, she is delivered by Osunde with a finesse that is hard to ignore.

In "Rumour Has It," Osunde delivers Ranti - an infuriating, ambitious, yet humorous character - with a performance that is impressive. And as Leila in "Shuga," she gives a performance that’s at once both fierce and naive.

Osunde has enjoyed a good year and has consistently been a delight in all her works so far this year.

6. Zainab Balogun

As Ope in the EbonyLife romantic comedy, "Royal Hibiscus Hotel,"Balogun is a natural, portraying the character with the right measures of vulnerability and determination as a disappointed lover and chef, respectively: Her character isn't one given to self-pity.

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