A Sunday Affair review: A collection of moral conundrums

A Sunday Affair is a romantic drama set in Nigeria that follows two best friends, Uche and Toyin, who fall in love with Sunday, a charming, yet flawed man. A love triangle ensues with the ladies not aware that they are in love with the same man. It is now streaming on Netflix.

Story

A Sunday Affair opens in Lagos, Nigeria, and shows a deep bond between two childhood best friends, Uche and Toyin. Now grown up, they are at different stages in life. 

Uche runs an art gallery and likes to sleep around. She funds her gallery and lifestyle through a sexual arrangement with a rich man named Sam. Toyin, on the other hand, is done with men and wants to bear a child through Intrauterine Insemination.

The two attend Uche’s sister’s wedding, who is marrying a man named Femi. There, Uche is smitten by a handsome guy, who is revealed to be Femi’s brother, Sunday.

He is married and has a daughter but is on the verge of a divorce. He starts seeing Uche and begins a fling with Toyin as well. Both women are unaware that they’re dating the same man.

Eventually, after a lot of flack from Femi, he breaks up with them, hurting both in the process. Sunday realizes he loves Uche, but in a shocking turn of events, Toyin is diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer.

Now, he must pick between being with his true love or being with a sick woman, so she doesn’t lose the will to fight.

Performances

Dakore Akande and Nse Ikpe-Etim play Toyin and Uche, respectively. Their friendship is one of the best parts of the film, and both give a moving performance. However, it doesn’t show consistently.

Oris Erhuero as Sunday has a commanding screen presence, but his character is very one-dimensional and doesn’t have an arc worth connecting with. His antics, in the beginning, don’t make his character likable, and the plot does not allow him any redeeming moments.

Positives

A Sunday Affair talks about the power of friendship and how it can help overcome the toughest of odds. The story is engaging because who Sunday will end up with is a mystery.

Director Walter Banger and co-writers Darrel Bristow-Bovey, and Nnegest Likké present a love triangle brimming with morally difficult decisions.

Sure, the scandal begins with Sunday’s habit of sleeping around, but all the following decisions turn it into a situation where no one is really at fault. As an audience member, you will be conflicted toward the end.

Negatives

There is a clear lack of spark when it comes to romantic relationships. Both women are the best in each other’s company, but with Sunday, the chemistry falls flat.

It is interesting to watch the characters’ lives unfold, but a little more context into their pasts would have been welcome. The film’s tone is inconsistent. It goes from being a light comedy to a love story and finally becomes a heartbreaking drama.

Furthermore, plot liberties also don’t do the immersion any justice. For example, it is slightly laughable that two childhood best friends hide information about their partners from each other and take ages to discover that they have been with the same man.

Verdict

A Sunday Affair is a decent film and will tug at your heartstrings, especially toward the end. Sure, it has its problems, but the message of friendship and love bundled with relatable moral dilemmas make it a worthwhile watch.

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