Eyimofe is a layered portrayal of the desire to seek greener pastures abroad. Set in a neighbourhood in Lagos, the film follows the separate journeys of two individuals on an attempt to seek a better life in Europe.
- Eyimofe Movie Snapshot
- Eyimofe Movie plot.
- Eyimofe Movie Review.
Eyimofe Movie Snapshot
Genre: Drama
Director: Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri.
Country: Nigeria
Released: 2021
Run Time: 116 min
Eyimofe Movie Plot
Mofe (Jude Akuwudike) is an electrical engineer who lives with his sister in a crammed unit in Lagos. When he finally secures a passport, he shares the excitement with his sister. The news is the first step to his relocation. His joy is short-lived after a domestic accident claims the lives of his sister and nephews. Burdened by grief, financial obligations and work, his dreams are derailed.
The second story in this ensemble is about Rosa (Temi Ami Williams), a hairdresser with ambitions of going to Italy. To earn extra income, she works the evening shift at a hotel bar where she meets Peter (Jacob Alexander). Their short-lived romance offers her a brief escape. Rosa soon runs out of options and, because of necessity, is forced to settle with her benefactor.
Eyimofe Movie Review
The film’s central theme of immigration feels personal. It is not only familiar but also universal to audiences beyond an African context. Ranging from familial pressure to structural and economic failure, the narrative exposition reveals the reasoning behind the characters’ desires to immigrate. Shot on 16mm film, it is a visual feast of bright, vivid imagery that enhances Eyimofe’s realism with grainy visuals. Lagos is alive and beautiful in this representation. The visuals complement the cast’s stellar performances, allowing us to experience and connect deeply with the protagonists’ emotions, situations and setbacks.
Eyimofe is a different kind of immigration story; one that never left the shores of their homeland. Its visuals and storytelling deliver a layered view of contemporary Urban African life.
Eyimofe: This is My Desire (2020) is available on Amazon Prime. Directed by Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri.
