My Father’s Shadow is the directorial debut of BAFTA winner Akniola Davies Jr. The film, which earned the Caméra d’Or — Mention d’honneur at the Cannes film festival, follows Folarin (Sope Dirisu) as he travels into Lagos with his two sons, Aki and Remi (Godwin Chiemerie Egbo and Chibuike Marvellous Egbo). Against the looming results of the critical 1993 election, Folarin shows them around the city that he hopes, one day, will see peace so his children can enjoy it like he once did.
The main conflict in the film stems from Folarin’s grapple at wanting to be there for his children whilst needing to work the long hours in Lagos to provide for them, so they have a better life than he did. It’s an all too real dilemma; how do you balance the responsibility of being a breadwinner with the paternalistic instinct to spend time with your kids?
However, Folarin manages to kill two birds with one stone as he brings his kids with him for the day whilst running a work errand to collect his salary that is four months late. In the end he never collects his earnings; the chaotic election brought economic uncertainty causing his manager to flee, though he finds that the true value lays in the time he spent with his children throughout the day.
Throughout, there are hints pointing to the father’s death. In multiple scenes, the children see an unnamed women dressed in blue, watching over them. The first time is on a balcony, as they traverse a crowded Nigerian market – the final time in the bar where its patrons become unruly when the militant government annul the outcome of the democratic election (she appears momentarily before suddenly disappearing). At Folarin’s funeral, all the attendees are dressed in attire similar to the women, suggesting her presence was an omen of his death. This symbol that someone is watching over them implies how even though he’s gone, Folarin will be doing the same for his sons; his shadow remains over them.
This theme of ‘watching over’ continues as the camera pans to birds circling overhead at various points in the film, implying disaster will strike soon. It also has a spiritual connotation, like someone above is watching over them. We find out in the beach scene that Folarin had a brother who drowned and for many months after his death, he kept seeing visions of him. Then, a clairvoyant told him that his brother was not at peace as he felt no one remembered him. In commemoration, he named his eldest, Remi, and only then did Forlain stop feeling his brother’s presence.
It’s as if Remi embodies his father’s brother and as he travels with him through Lagos, he is like a shadow, following him. In some ways the sons are the shadow of their father whilst, simultaneously, Folarin is the shadow, watching over them.
The film’s slice-of-life nature means that the focus is on its standout cinematography rather than its quiet story. Shot on a 16mm lens, the life of Lagos is brought out. A fairground Folarin takes his children to oozes nostalgia and warmth, the dramatic landscape of one of the capitals many beaches, marooned by a ship, gives an insight into what the city has become, and the family’s quaint village home is an antique relic in contrast to the buildings in the capital. The timelessness of each scene is preserved, adding to the immersive experience.
My Father’s Shadow brilliantly captures the journey of a family navigating a tumultuous period of 1990s Nigeria. The use of symbolism through ‘watching over’ gives an introspective double meaning to its title, and the cinematography offers a snapshot into a time not many have experienced. It’s a heartfelt debut by Davies Jr and I can’t wait to see what he does next.
I sat down with director Elias Demetriou to talk about his film ‘Maricel’ which follows a Filipino domestic worker in Cyprus caring for an elderly couple who have a lot of unspoken family drama.
