16-year-old Vivian moves to live with her grandmother Ma Granni in the city of Bamenda. On her arrival, she is infatuated by Ben, an okada boy. Ben so Lovely and willing to be financially supportive takes Vivian on a ride to a seemingly romantic but dangerous adventure.
Where to start? 'Cutlass' is mostly uninspiring, though it does have a couple of positives.
Technically, this is very well made - surprisingly so, given the film's negatives. It's edited very well, with some nice transitions across the 90 or so minute run time. The cinematography is pleasant. The music is also decent, especially towards the end. The Spaghetti Western-esque audio dubbing aside, those behind the scenes merit praise.
Speaking of the conclusion, it's almost like a different production. All of what proceeds is unfortunately very dull, not helped by uninteresting characters and questionable acting. Yet, the ending is actually entertaining to watch - perhaps messy, but 'enjoyable' still.
I will note, though, that I like the Ben character, obviously not literally so but I mean as a character he stands out in my mind after watching at least. He is portrayed by Burri-Taka Bolalima, who is also the director so I guess it is little shock that his character sticks out most.
It's a 2020s release that has big issues, no doubt about it, though it does have a few redeeming qualities to it too - which stops it from scoring ultra low from yours truly. Either way, cool to see Cameroon on the screen.