Have You Seen Half Of A Yellow Sun?

So last week, we heard on Twitter that Half Of A Yellow Sun is now available on Starz. We watched it immediately. I haven’t read the book yet, but it’s been sitting in my bookshelf for years. My mom even took it and read it before me. She loved it. I can’t say for sure why I haven’t read the book. I think it’s partly because I know that it’s about the Biafran war, and I am afraid to confront the truth, even if it’s just in a fictional novel. I’m a huge fan of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and I would read a dictionary if she wrote it. I keep waiting for her to be on Twitter. I imagine her tweets would be filled with profound thoughts and euphemisms. I love her. Can you tell?

Anyway, we watched the movie, and I cried my eyes out. I cried over everyone and everything. I’m still sad about Kainene and how her story went. I won’t tell it here. I don’t want to spoil the movie/book for you. I cried over the killing of my people, Igbo people. Seeing Igbo people having to flee all over the place and being killed like flies, it reminded me of the story my grandma told me. They, too, had to flee from another State (don’t remember the one) and literally walk to our town in Anambra. I picture my grandma walking for miles, for days across the country, and it breaks my heart. Just the other day, I was asking if she still had pictures of her children when they were babies, and she said that everything was lost in the war. There was profound sadness on her face and in her voice.

So, yes, watching this movie brought many emotions. But emotions aside, I thought the movie was beautifully executed. Chiwetel was great as usual, and I just loved his Nigerian accent. It was sexy. Genevieve Nnaji was in the movie, but her role was so small and insignificant that you can watch it and forget that she’s in it. I was also pleasantly surprised that the Non-Nigerian cast were able to say “Nsukka” correctly. I expected them to butcher it. Thandie Newton and Anika Noni Rose were great, too! By the way, can you believe that these women are 41 and 42 respectfully? They. Look. Amazing. My favorite act though was Onyeka Onwenu. Goodness, I fell in love with her all over again.  She’s now on my list of celebrities I have to meet.

Thandie Newton (41) and Anika Noni Rose (42). Beautiful!

Half Of A Yellow Sun is a  movie about so much: politics, war, family, marriage, culture, and much more. But above all, it’s about love.  If you haven’t seen it, you definitely should. It’s free on Starz.