An appealing but undemanding tale

Behind a Smile is a simmering cauldron of emotion, deceit and romantic intrigue. Fred loves Stacy, but that’s only until he meets and falls for Mara. As for Mara, her attention quickly shifts to Fred’s best friend, Majid. The characters are soon embroiled in a love triangle, or is it a square?

Successful businessman Fred (played Majid Michel) works for Pyramid Industries, thanks largely to his relationship with Stacy (Omoni Oboli)—her parents own the company.

While escaping the thieves, sent by purported friend Majid (Jim Iyke), Fred meets and is sheltered by Mara (Nadia Buari). He eventually falls in love with her and, predictably, incurs the wrath of Stacy’s parents, who take everything from him. Fred forges ahead with Mara, selflessly donating a kidney to save her life.

Ironically, he is later involved in a near-fatal car crash and is badly injured. Majid seizes the opportunity to court Mara while Fred recuperates; Stacy leaves the country, pregnant with Fred’s child.

Despite its occasional dips in quality, director Frank Rajah Arasee’s passionate melodrama remains compelling entertainment. Jim Iyke appears in his now familiar role of the “bad boy” while, as is common in Nollywood nowadays, popular Ghanaian performers are adroitly incorporated into the cast.

The film also benefits from passages of almost poetic dialogue, though this intriguing addition is somewhat devalued by overuse.

However, Behind a Smile’s most notable shortcoming is its confused narrative structure. Arasee’s grasp of the plot’s chronology is frequently made uncertain: it is unclear whether Fred’s breach with his mother spans months or years, while Stacy’s daughter ages considerably more than on-screen events would lead viewers to expect.

Even the film’s title is perplexing. Perhaps it was chosen to suggest the friction that lies beneath a seemingly perfect facade. Nevertheless it is confusing and ultimately misleading.

Though its plot will be overly familiar to regular audiences, Behind a Smile remains an admirable effort, amiable, undemanding entertainment enlivened by its quartet of lead performers.