Movie Review: A deeply affecting day with dad, amid Nigerian unrest, in ‘My Father’s Shadow’

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Two young boys spend a day with their oft absent father in Lagos amid political turbulence in “My Father’s Shadow,” an affecting debut feature from Akinola Davies Jr.

The film, which premiered at last year's Cannes Film Festival, might have missed out on the Oscars (the U.K.’s selection didn’t even make the shortlist ), but don’t let that oversight dissuade you from seeking it out now that it’s finally opening in North American theaters this weekend. “My Father’s Shadow” is a gem, a deeply felt memory piece and vibrant portrait of Nigeria in 1993.

The script was a collaboration between Davies Jr. and his brother, Wale Davies, who were born and raised in Nigeria and lost their father at a young age. They were 8 and 10 at the time of the 1993 election, the same age as the two main characters, but this story is only loosely autobiographical — inspired by that loss and those feelings. In “My Father’s Shadow,” the father, Folarin (a brilliant Sopé Dìrísù ) is very much alive, but there’s dread in the air. Time seems to slow when they pass by a group of military men who all turn and stare, like Folarin has a target on him. More than a few characters seem downright startled to see him, too, as though he’s already a ghost.

It might sound a little silly or contrived, but it’s done with such subtlety it’s quite moving in execution. After all, Folarin is already kind of a fading memory for his sons, Aki (Godwin Egbo) and Remi (Chibuike Marvelous Egbo), as absent as he is in their lives. At the beginning of the film, the boys catch him stopping by their house in the village to change clothes quickly before departing again. At first, you’re not sure what kind of man and father Folarin is — he seems distant and uninterested in the boys, who insist on coming with him on his journey to the city. A kinder, gentler side will emerge in time, but it’s Folarin’s complexities and contradictions that make him such a fascinating character, who we grow to love and appreciate through the boys’ eyes. The Egbo brothers are extraordinary playing these fictional brothers too — you never feel like you’re watching young actors, just kids authentically processing the world around them.

These three pack quite a bit of life into their day and a half in Lagos, where Folarin’s main objective is to try to get six months of back pay from a supervisor who is never around (and doesn’t seem to pay any of his other employees regularly either). Folarin is told he might come back for the night shift, and that he and his sons should just explore Lagos in the interim. Davies, working with cinematographer Jermaine Edwards (who shot on 16 mm), paints a colorful portrait of the Nigerian metropolis. Folarin gets to impart some life lessons, too, about protecting family and the importance of preserving memories, like that of the brother he lost when he was young.

The political backdrop doesn’t weigh too heavily on these kids. It’s mostly something that the grown-ups around them are always talking about, but children can sense the unease of tentative hope too. When they start their adventure, Moshood Abiola, or MKO, has won the presidential election, and there is optimism in the air for the maybe the first time in their young lives. By the end, the dream has been shattered. The boys have also just made a startling revelation about their father. And everyone seems to lose a little innocence all at once. As violence erupts around them, all that’s left to do is retreat. At least they're together.

At its heart “My Father’s Shadow” has a simple and profoundly sad message about family and time. Folarin has been absent trying to make money to send to his family; But all the boys want is for him to be around more.

“My Father’s Shadow,” a Mubi release in theaters Friday, is has not been rated by the Motion Picture Association. Running time: 93 minutes. Four stars out of four.