Crazy, Lovely, Cool is a new show on Netflix based on the lives of a group of undergraduates at the University of Eastern Nigeria (or Nsukka, as you may know it) in Enugu State. The title (Crazy, Lovely, Cool) is also the title of a blog run by one of the main characters, an asthmatic writer called Izu. 5 episodes are currently available on Netflix. The show was apparently produced in 2018 (based on the date tagged to it on Netflix) but aired on Netflix this week. Members of the cast include Adesua Etomi, Enyinna Nwigwe, Uru Eke, Jide Kene-Achufusi, Obi Okolie, Anthony Mojaro, and several others.
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Crazy, Lovely, Cool is reminiscent of a show like Shuga, in the way that it tackles social issues. A university campus is the prime setting for it. In the first few minutes of the first episode (‘Matric Special’) another of the main characters, Funmi, attempts to convince a crowd of her peers to donate blood. The responses are fairly typical: one student accuses Funmi of trying to suck their blood, while another asks ‘how much?’ Blood drives are, of course, supposed to be a voluntary giving of your blood for free. Hearing that, the girl that asked how much becomes hostile. In the end, Funmi watches, in shock, as the crowd disperses without a single person stepping forward to sign up. The thing to take away from this scene is the message that the show is trying to pass with the words Funmi used to try to evoke the crowd’s sympathy. She shouts, ‘Blood Drive! Save a life! It’s your social responsibility.’ And there’s an ignorance that Crazy, Lovely, Cool is trying to highlight when one of the gathered students has to ask ‘Blood what?’
The show was produced and directed by Obi Emelonye, a Nigerian filmmaker known for his imaginative work in Last Flight to Abuja (2012), Mirror Boy (2011), and Onye Ozi (2013). If you were paying attention to the Nigerian entertainment industry back then (and in some cases even if you weren’t), you may have noticed some of the excitement that followed the release of Mirror Boy. The film featured Genevieve Nnaji as a mother who took her British-born son to Africa (the Gambia), where he subsequently went missing. Tijan encounters a strange, little man (the mirror boy) played by Osita Iheme, who informs him of a wild destiny he must fulfil. In 2011, Mirror Boy won the Africa Movie Academy Awards for Best Film by an African Living Abroad, along with two other awards (Best Original Screenplay and Best Director) at the Nollywood Movie Awards.
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The teaser trailer for Crazy, Lovely, Cool (CLC) is, unfortunately, more exciting than the first few minutes of its first episode, but perhaps after settling into the tone and storyline of CLC, an audience may come to love it. CLC was created by The Nollywood Factory in collaboration with Trace TV. The Nollywood Factory is an international production company based in the United Kingdom and Nigeria.
Sources:
Mandy
The Guardian NG
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