In A Father’s Love, Sebastian Ukwa tells the story of David Nwachukwu (David Jones David) and his family as they try to survive in the city of Lagos as a lower-class family with one too many problems. Their problems compound with the arrival of a surprise baby who was abandoned in David’s taxi car by a mystery passenger. Marking the latest project in the First Features Initiative, A Father’s Love is a curious attempt at capturing the essence of fatherhood.

Against the introductory backdrop of their family issues, David’s role as the head of the home is established. He is painted as an enduring father figure who embodies responsibility and maturity. The movie goes further in its exploration of fatherhood by seeking to define it in a more unorthodox sense than you might expect. It voices this theme using the words of David’s friend, Panshak (Funny Bone), who tries to help him understand that fatherhood is all about being the man who steps up and does what needs to be done for the children in the picture. The movie, faithful to its title, attempts to paint fatherhood as responsibility and complete dedication to the wellbeing of the children, biology be damned. However, this attempt is dampened by the fact that the movie goes on for much longer than it should have.

A Father’s Love is characterized by dull pacing that leaves you wondering if the 2 hours and 18 minutes runtime could have been compressed into much less. From the tempered start, it is obvious that the movie isn’t going to get ahead of itself. The unrushed atmosphere helps you settle in, expecting a smooth and pleasurable unfolding of a feel-good story. However, the scenes start to drag, and the first act of the movie feels like an unnecessarily lengthy introduction. You begin to feel antsy, waiting for the actual story to start. Unfortunately, when it does, it isn’t as fulfilling as you would have hoped. 

A Father’s Love takes its sweet time establishing the lives of the drowning family. Suddenly, a baby is thrown in and the focus is shifted. Now we are left wondering how the story would play out when we are abruptly thrown into even more chaos with a subplot that seems out of place and carelessly introduced. A loving couple with no hint of conflict or animosity between them is suddenly shown to be harboring a dark secret kept by the wife, Ladi (Yvonne Jegede). The abruptness is worsened by an illogical and cliche motivation. We have a family already struggling to make ends meet, and guess what? The father desperately wants to add another child to the mix. In fact, he wants it so desperately that he takes to the liquor bottle when their efforts prove fruitless. 

The wife’s infidelity adds a significant weight on the movie’s plot, turning an already slow-paced film into an overcrowded and overburdened one. It even makes you wonder if the plan was to make the movie as long as possible while holding on to the semblance that something interesting is happening. Additionally, the main theme of fatherhood doesn’t seem to pack enough of a punch despite the many emotions forced upon it.

We could continue to count the mismatches but that would do a great disservice to the things that the story comfortably does well. First on this list is the friendship dynamic between David and Panshak.  They form a picture of unwavering support and brotherly love, sharing laughter when humor demands it. David’s friend helps him when needed, and isn’t afraid to knock some sense into his head when the situation demands it as well. 

Secondly, the portrayal of Lagos, using the radio station as a conduit to evoke the energy of the city. Lagos can almost be seen as a character of her own, bound to ignite a strong nostalgic feeling in viewers familiar with the city. 

In a nutshell, A Father’s Love might not be a sharp bull’s eye in what it set out to do but it is worth the watch if only for its fond appreciation of Lagos City, and for its heartwarming portrayal of friendship and platonic affection.

A Father’s Love premiered on Prime Video on May 31st.

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Side Musings

• Felt like the pidgin wasn’t fitting David’s mouth right, no matter how hard he tried. 
• How does one come into your car with a baby, abandon the baby in the backseat and leave , yet you don’t realize it until much later when the baby is crying loudly? In a Lagos taxi cab for that matter, that usually has a lot of hustle and bustle going on. Technically it is possible, but it wasn’t portrayed in a very plausible manner. 
• Even for a seemingly illiterate couple, surely there would have been better options to handle an abandoned child. Even upon visiting a radio station filled with clearly educated characters, it is surprising that nobody suggested an NGO, non-profit, or religious project to take the child to. It seemed to paint Nigeria in a very lawless and unstructured light in an attempt to sell the plot.
• The level of intensity and bond they had built with the child seemed too rushed to be taken seriously. 
• What an incredible soundtrack. It fit perfectly and was so lovely to listen to.
• First Features Initiative, slated to support 12 first-time directors,  so far has produced: CAKE, Love and Life, It Blooms in June, Kill Boro, and A Father’s Love.