The first time I saw Mathew ‘Mao’ Adeboye’s film, tiny drops of tears invited itself to the corridor of my eyes. Having lost promising secondary school classmates to avoidable death and seen firsthand youth in my community lose their lives to senseless community fights, I thought I was familiar with dirge. But, watching Adebayo’s emotionally-prone film made me realize that unmindful of how stoic we present ourselves or our supposed kinship with a dirge, it’s impossible to dismiss the cold and callous pain that cripples our consciousness when death arrives. Grive, a willing companion to death, introduces itself in different guises. Familiar with its traits or not, ensure it deprives humans of joy even for minute seconds. Thus, watching Endless it becomes impossible not to recall moments of personal grief and tragedy.
Endless follows the story of an unnamed couple navigating complications in their relationship. A one-location and two-character film, the film explores how transient time is. On a picnic date, the man(Femi Olawole) reiterates, using a poetic Biblical verse, his emotional commitment towards his girlfriend(Maureen Vincent.) Eager to respond to social media comments and participate in a trendy conversation, the girlfriend fails to acknowledge said boyfriend’s love gesture. After a few verbal exchanges, tragedy strikes. The girlfriend is back at their favourite picnic spot six months later and is emotionally drained. The only difference is that, unlike the first date, the guy is no longer there. But, constantly, the girlfriend invites him for a conversation.
What becomes apparent upon watching the twelve-minute film is how fleeting life is. Humans live uncertain lives without the supernatural or mythological power to extend or detect our lifespan. Each assured and reluctant step — a dash towards the bedroom, a gentle picking of one’s gadgets and outdoor activities, is implicit with the potential of our mortality as humans. And in an age where illusory and social-media-cultivated friends take primary attention, the film lends its voice to the need for living in the moment. In recalling that popular axiom, I will be repurposing, Endless shows viewers that there is just a hug and kiss between life and death. Every second, minute, hour, and moment matters. Embrace and jealously treasure each gesture and moment with your loved ones and families.
Despite its fine and layered subject matter, the actors’ performance doesn’t lend itself to properly communicating the layered emotional core of their roles. The acting is emotionally bland for a film that mostly depends on the actors’ vulnerability. Olawole’s performance as the boyfriend starved of attention is passable. But Vincent’s performance as the grieving and distressed girlfriend isn’t commendable. We see her striving to be vulnerable and distressed but falter in reaching the climax. The inability of the performances to embrace the needed emotional tone mars the viewing experience.
The technical elements make up for the poor acting performances. Shot by Ayobami ‘Elite’ Ademola who skilfully doubles as the editor, there is an acute attention towards separating the different timelines of the film. The colour grading distances each timeline from the other. On the couple’s first date, the colour is vibrant. While in the second solo date, the colour is pale and bereft of life. The vibrant colour of the first date not only solely captures the lovers’ blooming love story but the celebration of life and the importance of love. The muted and dull colour doesn’t just tend to separate the moments apart but serves as a metaphor for her psychological head space. Additionally, the editing allowed a seamless transition between two moments.
Nothing, other than this moment, is assured.
Despite the actors’ dispirited performance, the film suggests, for adept viewers, the urgency to cherish each moment. As someone who is mostly thinking about work and the next film to review even when sharing silent moments with my loved ones, I left the film with the intention of correcting this. Nothing, other than this moment, is assured.