Yet, beyond the conversations on social media and among film lovers, My Father’s Shadow represents something increasingly rare in Nollywood: a film that combines emotional storytelling, political history and cinematic restraint without losing its audience in the process.
Directed by Akinola Davies Jr., the film revisits one of the most painful periods in Nigeria’s democratic journey — the aftermath of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, widely believed to have been won by Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola. But instead of approaching history through politicians, activists or military leaders, the film narrows its focus to a fractured family trying to survive uncertainty.
A Story Told Through Innocent Eyes
Set during the tense days surrounding the annulment crisis, the film follows two young brothers, Akin and Remi, who live quietly with their mother in a rural community far away from Lagos. Their routine is disrupted by the sudden return of their estranged father, Fola, played by Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù.
Fola arrives without warning and without offering explanations for his long absence. His return immediately creates tension within the household. Angry over a missing wristwatch and visibly burdened by personal frustrations, he soon reveals that he must travel back to Lagos to recover months of unpaid salary before the country descends deeper into crisis.
Unexpectedly, he asks the boys to accompany him.
What begins as a simple journey gradually unfolds into something more intimate — an uneasy attempt at rebuilding the relationship between a distant father and his sons. Along the way, the boys witness the harsh realities of life in a country hanging on the edge of political collapse.
From fuel scarcity to overcrowded transportation and anxious citizens, the film quietly captures the exhaustion of ordinary Nigerians trying to survive uncertain times.
Lagos as Both Memory and Warning
As the family arrives in Lagos, the atmosphere shifts dramatically. The city is loud, restless and tense. Soldiers patrol the streets, fear spreads quietly among residents and political anxiety hangs heavily in the air.
For the boys, however, Lagos also becomes a place of discovery.
Everywhere they go, people recognise Fola, greeting him warmly with names like “Kapo” and “Boss.” Slowly, his children begin to realise that their father lived an entire life unknown to them. Beneath his composed exterior, though, Fola is struggling. He battles stress, exhaustion and recurring nosebleeds while desperately searching for the man withholding his salary.
The delays in his mission become opportunities for emotional connection.
Fola takes the boys through parts of Lagos tied to family history, including a visit to the National Theatre, where he shares stories about their mother’s youthful love for the arts. These small moments become some of the film’s most emotionally powerful scenes because they reveal how much family history can disappear through silence.
Powerful Performances Ground the Film
The emotional strength of My Father’s Shadow rests heavily on its performances.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù delivers a deeply restrained portrayal of Fola — a man trapped between fatherhood, personal failure and the weight of a collapsing nation. Rather than portraying him as simply neglectful, the film presents him as part of a generation of Nigerian men forced into emotional absence by economic hardship and political instability.
Meanwhile, child actors Godwin Chimerie Egbo and Chibuike Marvellous Egbo bring remarkable authenticity to the roles of Akin and Remi. Their performances never feel rehearsed or artificial. Through their eyes, audiences experience confusion, curiosity, disappointment and hope all at once.
Their chemistry with Dìrísù gives the film much of its emotional realism.
A Quiet but Confident Directorial Debut
For a first feature film, Akinola Davies Jr. directs with remarkable confidence and restraint. Working from a screenplay co-written with his brother, Wale Davies, the filmmaker avoids melodrama and instead allows silence, atmosphere and emotion to carry the story forward.
The film’s greatest strength lies in its simplicity.
Rather than overwhelming audiences with political exposition, it personalises history through family relationships. The June 12 crisis is not presented as a distant historical event but as something that disrupted homes, separated families and altered ordinary lives.
Watching the film feels less like observing history and more like remembering it.
Cinematography That Feels Like Memory
Visually, My Father’s Shadow stands out for its textured, almost nostalgic aesthetic. The grainy 16mm cinematography gives each scene the appearance of fading memory, like flipping through an old family photo album worn down by time.
The visual choices help reinforce the film’s emotional themes: memory, absence, loss and unresolved history.
More importantly, the film lingers long after it ends. Even after the credits roll, audiences are left thinking not only about Fola and his sons, but about Nigeria itself — a nation still carrying the shadows of unresolved political trauma decades later.
Why the AMVCA Win Feels Deserved
The debate surrounding the film’s AMVCA victory is understandable. It was not the loudest film of the year, nor the most commercially dominant. But awards are not always about popularity. Sometimes, they recognise storytelling that leaves a deeper emotional and cultural impact.
My Father’s Shadow succeeds because it achieves something difficult: it transforms political history into intimate human experience.
Rather than simply revisiting June 12 as a national tragedy, the film explores what political failure does to fathers, children and ordinary families. In doing so, it creates a story that feels both historical and painfully current.
That emotional honesty is what ultimately makes its AMVCA triumph feel earned.
Verdict: 8/10
My Father’s Shadow is currently streaming on MUBI