Fifty minutes in, a Shakespearean twinkle comes over this Ghanian romantic drama; having at first bunkered us into a luxury hotel with squabbling spouses Carl (Arion Amon) and Mimi (Araba Dansowaa) on their first wedding anniversary, three more couples show up to give us multiple variations on marital strife. With all parties sat fuming on the veranda over breakfast, director Shirley Frimpong-Manso is aiming to conduct a summit meeting of the sexes.
It’s just as well they arrive; they jazz up a dreary opening in which Carl and Mimi thrash out their differences under the eyes of proprietor Shirley (Nollywood veteran Rita Dominic). He wants a baby pronto, she wants to advance her career in Europe – and it’s not immediately clear what’s in it for Shirley, who has cleared the resort for them. On the verge of calling it quits, the pair call in reinforcements: influencer couple Jimmy and Akushika (Kojo Boakye and Jessica Larny), as well as Mimi’s cousin Toby (Dean Amegashie) and his ex-wife Laura (Adomaa Adjeman).
Frimpong-Manso largely cordons off the broadly serious drama of the guests from the comedic riffing of the below-stairs staff, which includes manager Esther (Gloria Sarfo), who empties the resort of the remaining guests by claiming it’s been invaded by crocodiles from Burkina Faso.
The film doesn’t lean into the potential farce whirlwind presented by this tangle of lovers and their problems; instead it gets bogged down in heavy-handed messaging about the likes of social-media superficiality and couples not listening to each other.
Two of a Kind does have a refreshing earthiness about sex and relationships: one supposedly good Christian boy gets chastised for being able to jerk off to porn “until Jesus comes back”. But this contemporary glazing doesn’t infuse the heart of the plot, where, after letting them fade from the throng, Frimpong-Manso miraculously resolves Carl and Mimi’s grievances at the end. The faith in love’s unifying power is endearing, but Two of a Kind cheats a bit too much for it to fully resonate.
• Two of a Kind is in UK cinemas from 29 November.
