Dir: Akinola Davies, UK/Nigeria/Ireland, 2025, 94 mins
Cast: Sope Dirisu, Chibuike Marvellous Egbo, Godwin Egbo
Review by Matthew Morlai Kamara
What begins as a simple outing unfolds into a journey through love, disappointment, and the complicated legacy that parents pass to their children.
There are films that speak softly but leave an echo that lingers long after you leave the cinema, and this is one of them. It’s a moving, intimate, and deeply human story that unfolds unexpectedly. Director Akinola Davies paints an unforgettable portrait of fatherhood, memory, and the delicate bond between generations, all woven into the very fabric of Lagos life.
Through the boys’ eyes we see both the magic and mystery of their father they adore but don’t fully understand. Davies’s direction is full of grace and honesty. He captures the rhythm of Lagos. It’s sound, heat, and heartbeat feels very natural and doesn’t feel forced in any way. Every detail matters from a silent car ride, a glance across a crowded street, and the stillness before a storm brew. The political tension of early 1990s Nigeria hums gently in the background, never overshadowing the story but giving it emotional weight and urgency.
Sope Dirisu delivers one of his most grounded performances yet. It’s full of strength, restraint, and quiet sorrow. And as for the two young actors their performances are outstanding – very natural, full of curiosity and heartbreakingly real. Their chemistry with Dirisu is the film’s emotional core which makes every moment feel so authentic.
My Father’s Shadow isn’t loud or showy. It’s tender, reflective, and is a beautifully human story about a father and his sons and what’s lost in translation between love and silence. Akinola Davies has crafted a film that breathes, listens, lingers and lives in your heart long after the screen fades black.
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