Eyimofe

Lagos, Nigeria, is well-known for its fast-moving street-hustle atmosphere. And Nollywood has cranked out its own local audience entertainment about life in Nigeria, including the TV series 419, named after the most notorious of Nigerian financial scams.

But if you really want to escape the shadow of Nollywood and see a true picture of what it's like just trying to get along in the freewheeling anarchy of Nigeria today, settle back in your couch today and stream last year's Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) on the Criterion channel.

Shot in doc-style 16mm, Eyimofe plunges you right into the commotion of Lagos rush hour, with its heat, dust and decrepit construction, its danfo drivers zipping around chaotically, its carbon monoxide spewing from generators, smooth-talking hustlers, predatory schemers, heartless bureaucrats, bosses from hell, flat-out swindlers, and just plain cheapskates. Lagos is a city where every move you make sends you into a Kafkaesque maze of hospital bills, housing bills, lawyer bills, and then even more bills, a city of endless work and crushing compromises that are just normal life for everyday Nigerians.

Eyimofe's story concerns Mofe (played by Jude Akuwiudike), who dreams of leaving Nigeria for Spain, and Rosa (played by Timiloluwa Ami-Williams), who dreams of going to Italy. The movie is about the impossible frustrations of trying to turn these dreams into reality. Ironically, the film's directors are the brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri, Nigerians who did manage to graduate from film programs at Columbia and NYU, respectively.

I can say from experience that one of the classics always shown to NYU film students is Vittorio de Sica's "Bicycle Thieves." That film is about the bond between a father and son who rely on each other in an extraordinary way in a time of great struggle in postwar Italy. Likewise, Eyimofe concerns itself with familial bonds in times of adversity. Mofe's sister Precious and her two sons have been sent to Lagos from the village because his father is too stingy to support them, and Rosa's pregnant younger sister Grace has also been sent from her village to Rosa's care. Both Mofe and Rosa are truly heroic in their unselfish devotion to their family members.

At the start of the film, Mofe has bought a rather suspicious passport from a streetside forgery artist. Rosa eventually contracts with a thoroughly unscrupulous businesswoman to sell Grace's expected baby in exchange for passports. But these plans are suddenly jeopardized when Precious and her two sons are tragically killed by a carbon monoxide leak and Grace suffers a miscarriage. Mofe sinks into financial quicksand just trying to pay for his sister and nephews' funeral costs, and Grace nearly bleeds out because the clinic callously demands money up front from Rosa to save her life.

In the end, it does not matter whether Mofe and Rosa make it to Europe or not. The journeys each take aiming for their escapes are ones which teach them how to cope with difficult situations in life, and towards at least some greater level of self-reliance.

(The film is in English and Nigerian Pidgin, with English subtitles. However, not all the Nigerian Pidgin is translated, so I suggest you turn on additional subtitles in your Criterion channel or streaming media player.)

"Eyimofe" focuses on the hopes, desires and struggles of ordinary Lagosians, forced to daily confront a bleak world ruled by money and largely desensitized to human suffering.

It depicts the lives and problems of its main characters, Mofe and Rosa, with gritty realism and in a very engrossing way, with some unexpected plot twists and without a moment of boredom. The stories of the two protagonists are brilliantly and poignantly interwoven. The movie also renders the atmosphere of Lagos so compellingly that one feels literally transported to the city.

Mofe's inner strength, integrity, quiet dignity and stoicism are profoundly moving, though he is seemingly a man like millions of others. And one can't help being enthralled by the proud Rosa's attempts to change her and her sister's life for the better.

All the characters in the film seem very authentic - and often as inscrutable as real-life humans. Many of the characters elude any attempts at a simplistic classification into good people and villains, though it is clear that the most powerful ones are also the most ruthless and the most callous.

To me, the most fascinating and admirable character - apart from Mofe - was the landlord Vincent. It is easy to misjudge him, but his humanity touched me on a very deep level. Thanks to characters like him the heart-warming possibility of hope and solidarity always remains present in this film. This is a very beautiful and thought-provoking movie which I can highly recommend to everyone.

The story excellently showcase Nigerians realities. Message worthy of the efforts put into it. Excellent casting! & you will surely love the ending.

The cinematography alone with its charming use of detailed colors makes Eyimofe a must watch. The plot is balanced and compelling with barely any cliches and the acting is phenomenal.

In the past few years, I've heard scattered things about Nigeria's film industry. I've only loosely heard about the sorts of movies getting made in Africa's most populous country, but I've finally seen one. "Eyimofe", directed by twin brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri, is a look at hardscrabble life in the ever hectic Lagos. The protagonists are two people looking to emigrate. Factory worker Mofe hopes to move to Spain, while hairdresser Rosa hopes to move to Italy. That's when things complicate their plans.

Watching the movie, one can see how life in Nigeria is a constant hustle. A college friend of mine did volunteer work there, and this movie matches what she described. People have to bribe their way through life, electricity is never guaranteed, and corruption is so rampant that people just accept it (hell, they practically expect it).

Basically, the movie shows how privileged we in the global north are. The fact that you have the means to read this should affirm that. Appreciate your life, because the Nigerians sure can't.

An outstanding movie.