“The Anomalous” is an episodic psychological drama that explores the issues of human relationships and diverse psychological traumas that people deal with on a daily basis. The stories within the series are mainly based on characters with African backgrounds. The episode, “Only Human”, looks at the troubles of incest and the complex feelings of guilt, rage, and confusion that accompany such an act. The Anomalous is created by Chuk Otakpor and Richard Odilu, with four episodes to date. “Only Human” is directed by Chinedu Omorie. The name of the episode speaks to the theme of what it means to be human, with complex flaws and defects that can bloom into serious problems that people with have to deal with in their daily lives.
The episode stars Keira Hewatch, Chinedu Obajuru, and Michael Uchegbu, in roles that require certain grounded characteristics to keep the awkward situation stable and flowing. The episode benefits from beautiful set design, with interiors of rooms and offices colourfully decorated with nuances of cultural visual art pieces hanging from walls. The camera work is seamless and well-calculated. In therapy sessions the camera work is stable, during nightmares it slowly travels across the bed, while characters are running a drone is used—all to the director’s ability to put together a wonderful visual rhythm to drive this narrative forward. Accompanying music helps set the mood, helping expose the characters’ inner turmoils and at times enhancing the atmosphere of the settings.
The writing is the central highlight of this episode. A taboo subject such as incest is a subject that many directors and producers may stray away from due to its potential to turn audiences off. Incest is pretty much a universally unaccepted sexual act, and to that point, it might at times be worth the risk for producers to pick up such a topic that no one else dares to. We may not do it ourselves, but the human mind is a curious creature, and there is something to be said for witnessing someone suffer from partaking in such an act. This is exactly what Genny Uzoma’s character, Chibundu, is going through. Kudos to the writers for not giving anything away in the beginning. At first it seems the character is going through depression. The writing speaks to many people who suffer from mental anguish when they have done something wrong. Resentments never get old. And guilt, for the conscientious mind ages like fine wine. Prior to exposing the problem of Chibundu, there is a lot of room for empathy and compassion for the character, partly due to peculiar and beautiful writing. How do we face ourselves in the mirror after knowingly doing something wrong repeatedly? How do we come to terms with the judgement of others, when we know what we have done is not worst than what others have done yet we are judged more severely? These are all legitimate questions that put up a mirror for audiences to see and regard themselves in.
When it comes to the problem and questions of incest, it is ultimately up to audiences on where they stand in the character’s judgement. In The Anomalous, the director and the writer do a great job of portraying Chibundu as a lost and damaged soul, who is not in control of how his life is turning out. The overbearing guilt, and the inclination towards relationships that feed mania are legitimate defects that the character faces and it is not so easy to lay down judgement for his actions. There is space for contemplation and exploration into the darkest cracks of human psychology, where the grey area leaves room for debate and discussion. The episode does a great job of leaving audiences wanting more, as it thrives on individual psychological conflicts, relationship turmoils, and thrilling storylines. The Anomalous has been nominated and selected at numerous festivals worldwide, becoming a Semi-Finalist at the Montreal Independent Film Festival.
The therapists at the helm of Chibundu’s incestuous problem are a married couple, Dr. Kelenna (Kel) Ikenna and Dr. Oluchi Ofonime Ikenna, performed by Michael Uchebgu and Keira Hewatch respectively. It is ironic that Kel faces demons from the past, ones that have been creeping up on his psyche in the form of nightmares and bed-wetting. There is an interesting relationship dynamic worth contemplating for audiences between the married doctors, as they both seem to have skeletons in the closet that they seem to be pushing away and not confronting. Within in a turbulent and chaotic narrative, there is a bit of romance when it comes to these two characters that make us want to cheer their marriage on.
By: Darida Rose
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