“Hurts Harder,” a story that explores deep emotional pain caused by toxic love, is making rounds of headlines in town. The 50-episode drama series, with each episode running for 26 minutes, has been airing on Zacu TV since July 7, where those who followed from the beginning, are experiencing the flavor of the series in its 10 and beyond episodes. The movie’s story revolves around toxic love, the struggle of self-acceptance, and the devastating consequences of lies in relationships. ALSO READ: Rwandan movies hit West African market—what does it mean? At the core of the story is Kate, a 27-year-old woman full of love, joy, and hope. Despite being constantly heartbroken and cheated on, she never gives up on her dream of one day finding true love. Her life takes a turn when she meets Tate, a 28-year-old man living in Uganda as a cattle keeper. They connect through social media and build a two-year-long online relationship through photos and romantic messages, without ever meeting in person. However, everything Kate believed in was built on a lie. Tate, though successful in life, struggles with self-esteem issues. He doesn’t believe any woman could love him as he is, due to his poor fashion sense. Because of past rejection and being mocked for his body looks, he fears meeting Kate and instead uses photos of another man he found on Instagram. Things escalate when Kate insists, they meet in person. Panicked, Tate reaches out to Marvin, the man whose photos he had been using. Marvin, 26, is popular on Instagram for his good looks but struggles with being financially unstable in real life. Tate provides Marvin monthly to pretend to be him. At first, Marvin agrees just for the money, but over time, he starts to genuinely fall for Kate. Living in this lie becomes too much for him. As days pass, Kate starts noticing differences between the man she used to chat with and the one she’s now seeing. She begins investigating and eventually uncovers the truth behind Tate’s deception. The discovery leaves her emotionally devastated, questioning how someone who claimed to love her could never trust her enough to show his real self. Her close friends, Sasha and Olga, also start to worry about her deteriorating emotional state. Sasha, Kate’s honest friend, doesn’t believe in love. She constantly tells Kate to stop chasing a fantasy and focus on what’s real, even though Sasha herself is ignoring a man who truly loves her. Olga, on the other hand, is always there to comfort Kate but harbors her own secret pain: she is in love with a man who is in love with Sasha. ALSO READ: Kaliza Wa Kalisa: A fresh TV series with humorous characters “We’ve been receiving various feedback from people that the story is so relevant to their lives. Some even cried. We thank people for the positive reception,” said Yves Mizero (Wayeem), the writer and director of the movie. “Hurts Harder” was produced by Zacu Entertainment, a streaming company owned by Rwanda cinema investor Wilson Misago. The cast includes well-known Rwandan actors and actresses such as Ariane Irakoze Vanessa(Kate), Dwayne Shemaryimanzi Emmy (Tate), Angelo Shami (Marvin), Eliane Irakoze (Olga) and Nadine Iradukunda (Sasha) among others. ALSO READ: Five stars taking Rwandan film industry by storm “What we acted is actually true. This happens in the world of love and happens to some people. However, it sends a message of perseverance out there,” said Ariane Irakoze Vanessa, the main character in the movie. Irakoze believes that Tate’s story could happen to anyone whose background was shaped by mediocrity, especially those who were falsely made to believe from childhood that they would never succeed. She adds that love was the only thing that truly revealed who Kate was in terms of her mindset. “Surrounding yourself with people who positively encourage you and reflect positivity onto you helps you break out of that mental cage. You need such people because words have the power to shape someone either positively or negatively,” she said. The actress said that people should be cautious when using social media, as it’s easy for someone to impersonate another and leave victims scammed, manipulated, and heartbroken indefinitely. Irakoze revealed that her most difficult scene on the set was when she exchanged harsh (even abusive) words with Sasha, who reminded her that love wasn’t meant for her, bringing up how she had been rejected, cheated on, and divorced. “It was a raw and emotional moment for Sasha, who is an honest and straightforward friend. She was too real, she said. However, she said the moment where she expressed gratitude to both Olga and Sasha was also one of the most touching scenes she enjoyed acting. You can watch ‘Hurts Harder’ via Zacu TV on Canal+ and Zacu Entertainment on YouTube.
