Review: When love goes south
Could this really be a take on the cross-cultural, strangers-to-lovers trope that actually feels fresh?
Wilfred Okiche
Zandi J (Cindy Mahlangu) is a Cape Town-based podcast host and relationship influencer who has just been served a bitter pill.
Her childhood sweetheart has left her at the altar, sending her on a downward spiral that shakes the core of her hustle.
Enter Edward Obi (Efa Iwara), a charming Nigerian trust fund baby masquerading as a professional photographer to avoid dealing with family duties at home in Lagos. They meet-cute, some screwball shenanigans ensue, and sparks fly. Will they, or won’t they?
Naturally, obstacles arise to threaten the consummation of the affair. Edward’s mother (Carol King) is on the verge of retirement and wants him back home. The family business isn’t the only complication that awaits him at home. The plot is set up to ensure that Cindy and Edward are kept apart until the final act when it can all be sealed with a kiss.
Soft Love is a straight-up romcom directed by Awa Holmes, working from a screenplay by writer and producer Paballo Molingoane that deals with the familiar but presents its case in a way that still manages to come off as refreshing.
The action shuttles between Cape Town and Lagos for plot fidelity – and for coproduction operations realities. But, truth be told, Cape Town does the heavy lifting here, providing a gorgeous backdrop for the antics of the protagonists.
There is never a doubt about where the action is headed, but the above-average writing and pleasant visual design of the film, paired with the loads of chemistry that erupts between Mahlangu and Iwara, are enough to keep audiences invested.
A wholesome Nigerian-South African romance for these troubled times?
Why not?