Akinola Davies Jr's 'My Father's Shadow' Explores Nigerian Diaspora Through Metaphysical Storytelling

Clive Chijioke Nwonka reviews Akinola Davies Jr's film 'My Father's Shadow' (2025), a semi-autobiographical story of two adolescent brothers journeying through Lagos with their estranged father during the 1993 Nigerian presidential elections. The film, selected for Cannes Official Selection, employs a metaphysical narrative style that resists easy translation, challenging Western expectations for African cinema. Nwonka connects the film to Nigerian oral traditions and Ben Okri's novel 'The Famished Road', emphasizing its role in preserving Black cultural memory. Davies Jr stated the film provides a bridge for generations to understand collective grief and trauma. The review appears in the March 2026 issue of ArtReview.