My Father's Shadow

In My Father's Shadow, a 2025 Nigerian drama, two boys learn about their absent dad during one key day. Set in 1993 amid the presidential election, it starts in a village where Aki, the youngest son played by Godwin Chiemerie Egbo, and Remi, the older one by Chibuike Marvellous Egbo, play at home. Their mom Bola, acted by Efòn Wini, stays behind. Dad Folarin, done by Sope Dirisu, comes back and takes them to Lagos for his late pay. The bus runs out of fuel, so they hitch a ride on a truck. In the city, they see soldiers everywhere as tension builds. Folarin shows them his old spots, like the national theatre where he met their mom, a bar with memories, and the beach. He tells sad tales, like his brother's drowning as a kid, and how he named Remi after him. He gets nosebleeds from stress. The boys find out he has an affair with a cafe woman named Abike. As night comes, they watch TV news of the election win by Abiola, but the military cancels it, starting riots. Folarin runs with the kids, but at a checkpoint, a soldier stops them, knows Folarin from a past fight. They get through, but later we see Folarin has died. The end shows the funeral with mom and boys. Directed by Akinola Davies Jr. in his first big film, co-written with his brother Wale Davies, based on their own dad loss. It runs 93 minutes, from Element Pictures and others. Themes show how dads work hard but stay away, and if absence means love. The acting feels real, with Dirisu strong as the caring but flawed dad, and the kid actors bright and true. It mixes family warmth with Nigeria's political mess, like soldiers and chaos. Some say it's subtle and smart, a good coming-of-age story.