Sunday, March 30th, 2025

Short Film Review: Idiagi Eromosele’s ‘The Long Wait’ is an Honest Film

The loneliest queue on earth is the unemployment queue. Try as you might to strike partnerships, to draw inspiration from friends and family, to fortify yourself with platitudes of encouragement, the loneliness of circumstance still sits with you. And it can lead you down very dark paths. It is the honesty in this loneliness that Idiagi Ernest Eromosele tries to capture in The Long Wait

Drawing from personal experiences, the writer-director lays out the bleak reality of the unemployed graduate in a Nigerian clime. The scarcity of social contact, the barrage of rejections, and the dirtiness that comes with accepting failure. The cinematography is intimate, resting on the dirty plates with buzzing insects, the hard dissonant words in the application and rejection mails, and his pointless walks to the same spot through the city of Lagos. Accompanying those is the unassuming, bespectacled lead. 

There is an ordinariness to the film that leaves it relatable. The color is as bleak as the narrative tone. And the out-of-place pre-recorded call conversation, as if this man we see holding the phone isn’t having that conversation in the moment, as if it is a conversation he has had so many times, so many times. 

The Long Wait is an honest film. I find the end a tad melodramatic, but at its core there is a truthfulness to the gruelling nature of unemployment that it captures, and in turn, a truthfulness to the gruelling nature of being human. That is what films should do.

Join the conversation in the comments section or on Twitter.

Sign UpKeep track of upcoming films and TV shows on your Google calendar.

Previous Article

‘All’s Fair In Love’ Review: Romantic Drama with No Fresh or Sharp Edges

Next Article

Folu Storms Wants To Encourage African Men To Do Better with Paramount Africa Anthology ‘In Bloom’

You might be interested in …

Full AMVCA 2025 Nominees List: Femi Adebayo’s ‘Seven Doors’ Leads with 11 Nominations 

Dear reader, help us understand your Nollywood preferences by filling out our audience survey—your input is invaluable and deeply appreciated! Click this link. The 2025 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) nominations have been announced, with Femi […]

‘Fear Street Part 1: 1994’ Review | Netflix Kicks Off Horror Trilogy with Blood and Gore

Amidst the mountain of books that I had in front of me back in secondary school, I can remember how I sweated profusely, looking for R.L. Stine’s books. During that period, I read over 30 […]

       Showmax’s ‘Crime and Justice Lagos’ Episodes—Ranked

 I am familiar— by reading news stories and listening to friends narrate their experiences, with the bizarre traits of our Men in Black: Nigerian Police Force. This ranges from their passionate pursuit of victims whose […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *