Half of a Yellow Sun (film)

Plot

During the mid-to-late sixties, twin sisters Olanna (Thandie Newton) and Kainene (Anika Noni Rose) return to Nigeria after their education in England, they make decisions that shock their family. Olanna moves in with her lover, the ‘revolutionary professor’ Odenigbo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his houseboy Ugwu (John Boyega) while Kainene takes over the family interests and pursues a career as a businesswoman, falling in love with Richard (Joseph Mawle), an English writer. As the Igbo people struggle to establish Biafra as an independent republic, the sisters attention now shifts to the brutal violence unfolding in the Nigerian Civil War

Cast

Production

Half of a Yellow Sun was shot across five weeks in Tinapa Studio, Calabar and Creek Town, Nigeria. Bandele lists malaria and typhoid as one of the major challenges of the shoot, with several members of the cast and crew becoming ill, including star Thandie Newton.

Adaptation

Adichie was happy about the final product of the film as she thought it was beautiful and very well done. She also said the acting is very good and she loved the fact that it was filmed in Nigeria, which was her only requirement.

Music inspired by the film

In February 2014, it was announced that D'banj would release a track titled "Bother You", a song inspired by the film, to coincide with the release of the film. D'banj was inspired to record "Bother You" after watching the film. The music video for the song includes images from the film.

Critical reception

Half of a Yellow Sun received mixed reception from critics. It currently has a 52% aggregate rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a 5.6 out of 10 average score, consensus states "While it doesn't quite do justice to the source material, Half of a Yellow Sun adapts Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel with committed performances and narrative nuance". Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter writes that it "is the kind of ambitious literary adaptation that wants it all kinds of ways, not all of them compatible" and "the script is studded with great leaden lumps of expository dialogue". Nollywood Reinvented says the film is no where as good as the book, but points out that "Even though the movie does not recreate the emotions of the book it creates its own emotions". It also says "The movie builds on amazing sets, actors, supporting actors and music", but the characters lack depth. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave a 2 out of 5 stars and also commented that "there is a heartfelt quality" but "unfortunately, the film is often stately and sluggish with some very daytime-soapy moments of emotional revelation. At other times, it looks more like a filmed theatrical piece".