While the rest of us are still struggling to readjust to work life – post the holiday season, others are already launching full speed ahead into the new year. Oga John is a 10 minute short film directed by Tolu Ajayi and produced by Bolanle Akintomide starring Ade Laoye and Joseph Imoikor.
Oga John is a short film that sets out to increase awareness about mental health issues in Nigeria. In its brief 10 minute run time, we are introduced to Alero, a young lady who appears to struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It’s striking because it’s not the first mental health illness you’d assume a filmmaker would reach for when making a film like this, however, it doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s real. As the film goes by, the audience gets a brief glimpse on the possible frustrations of suffering from OCD in a place like Lagos – the society that it is physically and the way the society deals with its problems.
Oga John is very few scenes put together that manage to convey the intended message with tense shots done so simply and a wink at our misconceptions in the last scene. At the end, even though the message is crystal clear, it does feel more like a PSA/an ad than a short film and you might find yourself wishing you knew more about Alero’s struggle but I guess that’s why it’s called a short film?
COMING SOON: Insecure
A Naija Christmas
