In "The One for Sarah", Community plays a part in recovering from abuse
The "The One For Sarah" hit the big screen in late October with a star-studded cast led by Beverly Naya, who plays Sarah.
The one-hour film lets viewers watch Sarah navigate life and relationships while dealing with anxiety and PTSD from an abusive relationship in her past.
Her fresh start sees her move to a new estate away from her abuser though he continues to send cryptic texts to her, threatening to find and harm her. Each day, She would say words of affirmation to remind herself how far she’s come and how much farther she wanted to go.
“I am beautiful; I am strong; I am successful. I am a phenomenal woman; I am great”, Sarah said, reassuring herself of her worth and uplifting herself after an encounter that tore her down.
In her search for love, her demands are simple; she wants a kind man. The movie shows separate encounters with new men, depicting her struggles with vulnerability and trust.
Fred, played by Uzor Arukwe, seems perfectly gentlemanly, and though she likes him, she finds it difficult to trust him. Their getting-to-know-each-other process meets bumps in the road, especially as her abusive ex, Dare, resurfaces to hurt her again.
Her business thrives, she is a tailor, and she has a fashion brand and store that gain additional publicity through a newly acquired friend, a man she meets in her estate under unfortunate circumstances, Michael, played by Bucci Franklin.
He helps her trust again even though it was not easy for her to open up to him or believe he was genuinely seeking friendship and not sexual relations. He sticks up for her and throws a very satisfying punch at Daniel Etim Effiong’s Dare.
Through her friendship with Lizzie, played by Bimbo Ademoye and Michael, the movie highlights the need for community and support systems in vulnerable moments to uplift and fight for you. Lizzie helps Sarah reclaim her affirmations when she does not believe them, hyping her up along the way.
Emotional abuse is a pattern of behaviour in which the perpetrator insults, criticises, embarrasses, shames, blames, humiliates, manipulates and generally instils fear in an individual to silence, control, or isolate them.
The One For Sarah explores the perils of finding love while recovering from abuse, the need to affirm one’s self and to honestly believe those affirmations and the importance of good people to help you through the process.
The movie centres on the difficulties faced by women going through emotional abuse in intimate relationships and how these issues remain under-reported in Nollywood as women are often urged to keep silent.