Our take
Eyimofe, or This is My Desire, follows two strangers in their quest to leave Lagos, Nigeria. The first chapter, Spain, follows Mofe, the electrician who hopes to support his sister and her children by migrating to the aforementioned European country. The second chapter, Italy, follows Rosa, the bartender Mofe met who hopes to leave for a better future. While their only connection is that moment in the bar, both storylines capture the contrasts in their quests. While their paths differ due to their gender, their stories both understand the weight of their transactions– the never-ending tasks and the ever-rising cost that forces them to stay. Eyimofe beautifully captures the warmth of their vibrant city, while also finding the same ways they’re left out in the cold.
What it won
Oscars
5 wins · 2 noms
The story
A man and a woman in Lagos want to escape their everyday lives, but extricating themselves is no easy task. Two stories narrated with tenderness and restraint that only fleetingly touch, the dream of migrating to Europe floating above them all the while.
Elsewhere
"The drama's focus on money and power spotlights trouble with infrastructure: unreliable electricity and broken appliances spark minor annoyances, bitter crises, and horrific tragedies, which the directors present with seething, restrained fury."
— Richard Brody
"The camera is mobile when it needs to be, but stands still much of the time, letting the excellent cast build their characters as the events of the film test their endurance."
— Glenn Kenny
The details
Who picked it
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.