“The Perfect Picture”: Picturesque or not…

“What do you think of “The Perfect Picture”? My response until fairly recently has been “I don’t know, I haven’t watched it”. “You should watch it!” I often get told. I remember someone even said to me “…it features women like you”.

 Now that I have watched it I need to try and remember who made that last comment. What? Women like me? Now I wonder which one I am…the woman who “re-virginised” and abstained until her wedding night, or the uptight corporate type who slept with “the staff” or the stereotypical nympho who has no morals about who she sleeps with…Oh dear, let me get off my high horse already…

On a more serious note I am guessing the reference to women “like me” was referring to the fact that the women in the film were open about their sexuality. They talked about sex, they had sex, they had inappropriate sexual partners (is sleeping with someone from a different social class inappropriate? Is sleeping with a married man or woman inappropriate?), they chose to abstain from sex…In that sense the film was radical. I am not a connoisseur of African films but the storylines of the majority of African films tend to show women as victims. Victims of witchcraft, perpetrators of witchcraft, evil step mothers, pregnant teenagers, conniving bit**es, “good” religious women…I was grateful that “The Perfect Picture” did not show Ghanaian women in this stereotypical format.

Fake-ish sex scenes? Hmmm, Kwegyirba I hear you. I wasn’t sure why Chris Attoh’s character kept going “Ajei, ajei”  during the wedding night scene, did he have a hernia? Yet I will give full props to the decision to actually show a full on sex scene. Charle, that scene lasted SEVERAL minutes…the couple were actually trying to go for it. There was the standard missionary, girl on top, and I think some attempt at spooning or some sideways twist movement. I don’t think I have ever seen a sex scene in an African movie… (Apart from that Twi Ghanaian porno flick that made the rounds a few years ago, but that looked more like rape and exploitation than anything else. Did anyone watch it? I digress…) 

@Mr Jones – With our cultural climate as a context my assessment is that the sex scenes were almost “hot”. Were there any other sex scenes portrayed apart from the married couple? I would have liked to see the sex scene between the air conditioning guy and the “uptight” corporate…now that could have been hot.

 @Edward – I am not sure I understand your comment. Are you saying it is not a realistic portrayal of Ghanaian sexuality?

 @Nsoromma – Yes, the film does describe some “serious” issues – the malfunctioning of the male penis. I half joke…I liked the fact that the movie “talked about sex”. I don’t know if the film addressed issues though – which is I guess Darian’s “beef” with the entire film

 @Darian – breathe… only teasing…you accurately point out the weaknesses in the film. Yes the actresses/actors were in the main, good at their craft. I now have the hots for Chris Attoh. Chris if you ever read my blog “Holla”…

 @Sankofa – Was “Life and Living It” another Shirley Frimpong production. This film was good enough for me to watch another one of her productions.

 Overall impression: Good effort, glad I watched it