Sade: “I really did speak to Him today, Francis. And He was so calm and gentle….”

Francis: “God?”

Sade: “Yesss!”

The conversation above pretty much sums up God Calling. A faith-centered movie. If Mount Zion movies scared you and you never liked them, you may like God Calling. The movie is life-affirming, beautiful, and evoking.

Sade (Zainab Balogun) is a cynically atheistic, depressed dopehead who is married to Francis (Karibi Fubara) – a weak workaholic of a husband. Their married life – with an adorable daughter – seems rosy although they want more children until a tragic incident happened. The incident almost tore the family apart. But God calls, and for the first time ever in her life, Sade answers and everything starts to change for the better!

For someone who has noticed that the vast majority of Nollywood blockbusters eschew from faith-based topics, I found God Calling refreshing. The cast ensemble is brilliant. I do not know of anyone who could have played the role of Sade better than Zainab Balogun. She was fantastic! Karibi Fubara playing her husband could easily have passed as a wife. He was submissive – a well-played role. Actually their marriage is an allusion to Abraham and Sarah’s in the Bible. But here, Sade refers to herself as being called to be the “Mother of Nations”. Francis is her Sarah. Haha.

Perhaps Nkem Owoh should have appeared more. To make us laugh more. More comic relief was needed to cope with the gloom. But Onyeka Onwenu’s vibrant performance – peppering the story with traditional vibes – makes up for Nkem Owoh’s fewer scenes. Their tag team may be a hack. Remember Lionheart? Oh, you should also watch out for Diana Egwuatu (found out she was 6 at the time of filming) – Sade and Francis’ daughter. She makes the opening scenes a delight to watch. Her performance trumps the mundane performances of both Tina Mba and RMD.

The visual effects used in God Calling are quite good – another thing to look out for. The scenes where Sade jumps off Third Mainland Bridge, and the explosion are high points. Although the heaven and hell scenes were so tacky, they don’t ruin the story.

Verdict: 7/10. It could have been shorter (with more scenes of Nkem Owoh. Lol). God Calling subtly tells us to focus on picking God’s call rather than worrying that He’s not picking ours. Cos when you pick up God’s call, everything go pick up for you.