Is The Grass Greener On The Other Side? Quick Review on Short Film “Lodgers”

The short film “Lodgers” written and directed by Keni Ogunlola is very much a conversation starter. It is especially so in this era of every other Nigerian harboring dreams of escaping the country to “greener grass” on the other side. Whether it be the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada or even India, many Nigerians have reached a state where they are fed up with the growth or lack of growth that persists in Nigeria and have bought into a foreign dream.

In “Lodgers”, Ogunlola exposes the other side of the coin while still showing the assumptions from both sides in a sort of mild shaming. He shows Tony (played by AY) an MBA and MSc holder from Nigeria who leaves his position as a corporate bank manager in Nigeria, along with his architect wife, in search of greener pastures in London. As the short film progresses, you watch as his pride and ego quickly deflate from it’s hyper-augmented state in the beginning to a man on the edge by the end.

The short film is succinct and leaves no room for wonder about its message. It proffers no solutions by the end, neither does it pick a side on the argument of “is the grass greener in Nigeria, or is it better in the abroad?” Instead it exposes some realities from the struggles of the Nigerians abroad (especially those educated solely in Nigeria) versus the expectations they had coming in versus the expectations of those who they left at home.

Lodgers has won Best Short film at AFRIFF and was the only Nigerian film selected at the last FESPACO in Ouagadougou. It has been selected in 23 International Film festivals across 20 different countries and won a few awards. And it has also now been nominated for this year’s AMVCA.