It would be a historic and special moment just simply for the fact that Akinola Davies Jr.‘s debut feature, My Father’s Shadow, is the first film from Nigeria to be selected to play in the Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered Sunday in Un Certain Regard. That’s a big deal, but the fact that it is also one of the most moving and universally relevant and emotional films of any in this year’s fest makes its presence here especially powerful. On top of the extraordinary first film from Iraq, The President’s Cake — also selected for Cannes this year (in Directors’ Fortnight), and one that also lets us see the big city though the eyes of children — it is especially sweet to see two such accomplished films from first-time feature directors, both with Sundance connections.
In this case it is Davies Jr.’s short film Lizard that won the Grand Prize for shorts at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was BAFTA-nominated in 2021. It has led to this opportunity, and the semi-autobiographical film that came from the attention is the real deal. Co-written by Davies and his brother Wale Davies, the story follows Akin (Godwin Egbo) and Remi (Chibuike Marvellous Egbo), two young brothers played by real brothers — a casting that did not set out to require siblings. My Father’s Shadow opens on scenes of them playing like kids you might find in any neighborhood in any country. But they are about to embark on a journey that will be a life-changing memory for the rest of their lives, no doubt.
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It begins with their estranged father, Folarin (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù), an imposing and charismatic man who comes back into their lives to take them for a bonding moment in the big city of Lagos. It is 1993, and Folarin is hopeful and excited for change in his country with a seminal election, one that could mean a turnaround for his own life and fortunes as well as the future of his boys. In fact, the people’s candidate MKO wins in a landslide, but as the day goes on, the people and Folarin learn the election has been annulled by the military in charge, thrusting Nigeria deeper into dictatorship.
This is the background for their visit as Folarin, despite his own problems, makes every effort to please his boys doing things they love whether at the beach or the amusement park. But the fact is all Akin and Remi really want is to be closer to their dad, even as they miss their mother, who is away. Despite the worry of being picked up for his opposition to the controlling government, this is a day for bonding between father and sons, a story about brotherhood, fatherhood, memory, absence, missed connections and hopes for a better life he wants to gift his sons. The unrest and protests around them as they traverse Lagos and then try to return to their home is unsettling, an idyllic day disrupted.
Here is an advance clip from the film:
What the Davies brothers have delivered in their script are snapshots of their own youth and relationship with their father, even as in real life it was their mother to whom they were especially close. The filmmaker, though, wanted this to be more focused on the male parent, and that is what we got in this haunting film that, though set in Nigeria, really could be anywhere, any family struggling to stay together against all odds. It is as relevant as it could possibly be, and Davies Jr. has given it heart and soul.
With superb cinematography from Jermaine Edwards, the visual look here is almost poetic at times. Dìrísù, known for Gangs of London, the third season of Slow Horses and many other roles, is very fine as a man trying hard to be the father figure he somehow lost along the way. The two Egbo boys could not be more appealing or believable. They will break your heart. So will My Father’s Shadow.
Producers are Rachel Darvagel and Funmbi Osunbanwo.
Title: My Father’s Shadow
Festival: Cannes (Un Certain Regard)
Distributor: Mubi
Director: Akinola Davies Jr.
Screenwriters: Wale Davies and Akinola Davies Jr.
Cast: Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù , Godwin Egbo, Chibuike Marvellous Egbo
Running time: 1 hr 35 mins
Credit: Deadline
