Couple of Days stresses forgiveness

Enyinna Nwigwe, Lilian Esoho, Demola Adedoyin, Kiki Omeili, Okey Uzoechi, and Adesua Etomi-Wellington are part of the cast of Couple of Days.

A spoiler and sensitive topics (including suicide and Bipolar disorder) warnings are in effect! If you like this, you can get more of my articles when you subscribe to my account.

Summary

Three couples and friends (Jude & Cynthia, Lanre & Joke, and Dan & Nina)at different stages of their relationships vacation at their friend's country home where truths are exposed and relationships are tested.

Takeaway

After witnessing some troubles, Nina says to Dan, "Promise me it's always going to be like this." Dan says, "I promise, why do you ask?" Nina answers saying, "It's the others. Like…their relationship is so cold and lifeless. Babe, they've got issues." He consoles her saying, "Everybody has issues." She expresses her concern and belief saying, "Yeah, but, love should solve those issues." He responds by saying, "Nina, you and I know that love is not the solution to every problem." She concedes. Dan and Nina are newlywed, unlike the other couples who talked to their respective genders about relationships changing as time passes and the effect of kids in a relationship.

Nina accepted that relationships have their challenges as she silently dealt with her's. When talking to Cynthia and Jude, she said, "One way or the other we have to learn about true forgiveness. That is the only way any marriage will survive its storms." 

Right after her marriage, Nina found out that Dan had cheated on her and fathered a son. She felt betrayed and wanted to commit suicide. She said, "When the person you love keeps a secret away from you, you…breathlessness doesn't even describe the feeling." She questioned everything including herself and God. She said she understood that his keeping this secret from her shows that he loves her and through him, she's learnt the true meaning of forgiveness. She said she had to forgive him without him even asking for it and that is the meaning of true love. She said, "I cannot live without you, so I fought for you. I fought to forgive you." She said she loves and forgives him. She ends it by saying that he can bring his son home and she would treat him like she does him.

Side-note

Joke, despite saying the words "sorry'', did not express her apology with her actions which drained Lanre. She said to the girls, "he's always talking about his business and his dreams. I used to be his dream." This is sad as she said she still wanted love and affection despite her tough exterior but it seems delusional after we learned that she maxed out his dollar credit card forcing him to look for a way to gain the money back in order to pay Jude and Dan back(with interest as well). She's upset he keeps talking about it but she's not doing anything to remedy it as we saw in their car discussion when she said he's "bitching" about it and "moaning like a pregnant woman". 

Her attempt to alleviate the blame saying, "as if people don't make mistakes" stems from her thirst for finer things immediately. We see that Lanre would be uncomfortable spending the weekend with his friends while tackling this situation. He asks if she has an excuse to tell them which she doesn't and he says, "Fine, I will take care of it. As usual." During their discussion, Lanre expressed that he wouldn't stop talking about it as he said, "as long as it is going to take for you to get our money back". She did not care for this and had asked how long he was going to keep sulking about it. He expressed his concern and said she needs to "control that shopaholic demon" she has.

We learn more about Joke and her priorities as she discusses them with the ladies in the kitchen. They try to emphasize patience to her saying that Lanre is not disgustingly rich yet but she should give him time. However, Joke talked about not caring if her man grows distant as long as he's working. She said, "Me, I won't mind if Lanre were that busy and brought home a lorry-load of cash". However, they still love and care for each other as Dan says, "Lanre here has only ever loved one woman" and Joke still wants Lanre despite her false interest and needs.

Faves

Nina

…

Jude is an old schoolmate of Joke's. They have a discussion about their partners and their lifestyles. Jude said, "You know what they say, opposites attract." She said, "I know, right? It's almost like we end up falling in love with the things we hate." However, Jude corrects her saying, "In my own case, I don't hate her. I just…it feels like such a heavy burden. It gets awfully boring. Honestly, I have more fun talking to my PA at work."

Earlier on, Joke had told Nina and Cynthia, "Look, Nina, it does get lame down the road in marriage, you know." Jude agrees with this as he said, "Come on, Joke, you know how marriage is. Everything just seems duller. Us, less beautiful" when talking about his marriage and attraction to Cynthia. He said he still loves Cynthia but they are 'growing distant by the day'.

Cynthia has bipolar disorder and can have manic episodes. She can't be open about it because her parents are public figures and doing so will bring bad press. Their kids live with Cynthia's parents in fear of the discovery and/or severity of an episode. She feels Jude is with her due to obligation and that he might want to leave to be happy. Jude feels differently but it weighs heavily on Cynthia and for that, she leaves. She is unable to bear the pain of questioning if he truly loves her or pities her but on her journey away she's involved in a car accident and presumed dead. At the burial, we see that she is in fact not buried but alive away from her mourning husband and friends as she watches over them. 

Nina's confession about knowing Dan's secret and working for the relationship ties into her earlier belief. She believed that love could conquer all problems and it did for them but it didn't for others as Dan said it is not the solution to every problem. Joke and Lanre worked through their issues as well. 

The movie ends with a quote by L. Duncan that says, "People don't fall out of love, they fall out of forgiveness." There was also a teased sequel called 'Couple of Days…Later' but it seemed to not have followed through.

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