The Perfect Picture is the third film from writer/director/producer, Shirley Frimpong Manson--and is a romantic comedy shot in the industrial and commercial landscape of Takoradi, Ghana.

The film showcases the love lives of young, affluent, middle-class people, and from the first few flicks, what seems like the perfect marriage has turned sour as newly-wedded Aseye (Jackie Appiah) and Larry (Chris Attoh) find themselves unable to make love.

After doctor Anderson (Kweku Sintim Misa) declares them sexually fit, they practice his suggestions, yet nothing changes the couple’s situation. Which one of them is unable to arouse the other? Is marriage before sex really such an ideal situation? In a desperate bid to save their relationship, Aseye sneaks best friend, Dede (Lydia Forson) into her home at night, so that she could sleep with Larry, who in the meanwhile, would be too drunk to know exactly what was happening. Things get even uglier when Aseye finds out that she has been the problem all along, not her husband.

For the corporate woman, Akasi (Naa Ashorkor Mensah Doku), things get better when her interests shift from a successful business tycoon (who rarely has time for her) to Pusher (Adjetey Anang), a seemingly poor air-conditioning mechanic who is really a rich lawyer in disguise. Is marriage finally going to be in her plans? There may be hope for a perfect picture after all.

Whether or not, there was insufficient use of the local lingua (pidgin) as some argue, that did not detract from the praises bestowed on the film by Ghanaians and international audiences alike. With a western stamp of quality for cinematography for Shirley Frimpong Manson’s earlier releases (Life and Living It and Scorned), The Perfect Picture is another breath of fresh air for Ghanaian/Nigerian cinema where quality can often be a let-down.

Shirley Frimpong Manso, CEO of Sparrow Productions, has managed to bring the best out of her cast, including Jackie Appiah, a household name in the Ghanaian movie industry. The film’s premier was described as easily “the best in Ghana’s movie history” with long queues of eager movie-goers. According to Albert Mensah, General Manager of Silverbird Ghana Entertainment Limited, “Shirley Frimpong Manson’s ‘Perfect Picture’ is good. We showed it for over six weeks with the cinemas filled every day. The movie actually broke box office records.”

With throngs of sponsors and demand for all of Shirley Frimpong Manso’s films, there is now clear proof that women are beginning to break through the male-dominated world of African cinema.

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