Within 20 minutes, the thoughtful short film, Gone Nine Months, produced by Lola Okusami and Austin Lordlaz touches on several social issues that are still validin today’s society,despite being set in the 90’s.
From the moment the film opens, it draws you in, with its nuanced highlights of the strain within a family of 7.
Gone Nine Months presents the pressures of maintaining a family in Nigeria, especially for a woman. When the mother Agnes (played by NajiteDede) expresses herambitionsto pursue professional growth that requires her leaving the country, she is asked by her husband, Tunde, (played by OluEuba) whether she has prepared the children to look after the home and themselves while she is gone. Her desires do not fall in line with her husband’s expectations of his family.
Swept by excitement, Agnes accosts her husband with news of her post-doc admission into the French Institut even before he has eaten. Considering his antagonism towards her ambitions, it was a move that did not help her cause to win him over as he concluded that she was already neglecting her family and wifely duties in pursuit of her dreams.
This detail is amplified when one of her teenage daughters falls pregnant and the Agnes is completely blindsided by this and fails to notice for weeks.
There are standout performances from Zoe Favour, who plays Isha, the first daughter of the Olajuwons. The way she steps into her mother’s role, caring for younger siblings in order to help her mother realize her goals was executed with great confidence from a young and promising actress.
The most appealing factor of this short film is not just the storyline, but the way it’s been communicated.
The attitudes of the characters towards one another, theircountenance in conjunction with the dialogue makes the message clear leaving the audience with some food for thought.
Though the part where Isha was called to the dispensary concerning Oumou pregnancy is really not necessary, rather the school should have informed her parents in a more mature and private way and there was no scene of what led to the discovery of her pregnancy test, that would have added to the length of the movie.
After watching this movie, it creates a hunger for more from these talented film makers.
The movie is recommended to all. For married women and single ladies, there are outstanding moral lessons, and the men too will learn a lot.
