Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) Blu-ray Review
Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, January 7, 2023
There's a lot (and, to some probably, an
interminable) amount of chatter in the United States about immigration to this country, but what
often gets emphasized in the hustle and bustle of vigorous debate is the destination (namely, here) rather than reasons for leaving "home" in the first
place. While the United States is not the target country for characters seeking to leave Nigeria in
Eyimofe (This Is My Desire), something
that in fact may give Americans at least a little "distance" to see things from another perspective, the film
is focused on people who, for
whatever reason, are pretty much
desperate to get out of the land of their birth. While it is distinctly different in both narrative and style,
Eyimofe reminded me at times quite strongly of
Black
Orpheus, insofar as both films document the often hardscrabble lives of chronically economically disadvantaged people attempting to scrape
by somehow, some way in a teeming
metropolis where shanties are the norm. In this case it's not Rio de Janeiro, but Lagos, a city that co-directors Arie and Chuko Esiri in a supplement
on this disc jokingly compare to "New York City on acid".
Two separate stories with separate hoped for destinations provide the main story elements in
Eyimofe, and in fact both Spain and Italy are
overtly offered as quasi-"chapter headings" for the struggles of Mofe (Jude Akuwudike) and Rosa (Temi Ami-Williams), respectively. Interestingly, but
perhaps subliminally enforcing the idea that, to quote a certain Stephen Sondheim, Lagos is "a city of strangers", these characters never really
interact, even if parts of their stories are (depressingly) similar. Mofe works as an electrician in a city which frequently has no (or little) power, while
Rosa tries to make ends meet as both a hairdresser and bartender. Both want out.
Badly.
It might initially appear that Rosa's path is more fraught with obstacles, as she's the guardian and quasi-parent to her (pregnant) little sister, Grace
(Cynthia Ebijie), but a tragic turn of events suddenly upends some supposedly well laid plans, including a new passport which may or may not be
entirely legal, that Mofe had set into motion. One way or the other,
Eyimofe deals with apparent minutiae in the lives of both of these
characters which ultimately threaten to completely subsume them. As such, there's an almost suffocating sense of melancholy permeating the story
(or stories, if you will), something that seems only exaggerated by how insanely busy Lagos seems to be.
Eyimofe defies expectations and easy categorization, and anyone hoping for the eventual "triumph of an immigrant" story may come away
from this viewing experience feeling seriously downtrodden. That may actually help them to understand the seemingly powerless predicaments both
Mofe and Rosa find themselves in.
Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) Blu-ray, Video Quality
Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.67:1.
Criterion's foldout leaflet includes the following information on the transfer:
Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 [sic]. This new digital transfer was created in 2K
resolution on a Spirit DataCine from the 16 mm original camera negative. The 5.1 surround soundtrack was remastered from the original digital master
audio files.
This is a nicely organic, and one assumes intentionally gritty, looking presentation that offers a tightly resolved (if quite heavy) grain field. The smaller
source format can lead to intermittent deficits in fine detail at times, and there are a couple of kind of curious looking moments where it seems like
maybe a defective lens was used (see screenshot 19 and notice the kind of quasi-fringing in evidence), but on the whole detail levels in midrange and
especially close-ups are quite commendable. The palette is rather lustrously offered, and there are incredibly vivid pops of color among the general
dowdiness of what is more or less ghetto life. Several sequences have a slight yellowish skew which may alter the "naturalness" of the palette.
Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) Blu-ray, Audio Quality
Eyimofe (This Is My Desire features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that segues in and out of English, but I'm frankly not sure which of
what are apparently several native languages spoken in Nigeria might be the other language featured (and there may be more than
one,
actually). In any case, there are two sets of optional English subtitles, one which translates only whatever Nigerian language(s) is/are being spoken
and another which provides subtitles for all of the dialogue, whatever language. (Anyone who can identify the Nigerian language in the film is
encouraged to private message me and I can post that information here.) The track itself is very lively, often nicely engaging the side and rear
channels for the hustle and bustle of an extremely crowded urban environment. Even supposed "quieter" interior sequences can feature background
clamor of crowds and traffic just outside a window or flimsy wall. The score is also very evocative and utilizes the surround channels effectively.
Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout.
Eyimofe (This Is My Desire) Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation
It's kind of amazing that the back cover of this release calls it "hopeful", because there is an undeniable sadness that actually speaks to how powerful
the film's emotions are. The main conversation supplement with the Esiri brothers on this disc get into their own background and experience in
Nigeria, and their very unique perspective as what might be termed multi-nationalists (e.g., they have multicultural and in fact multinational
backgrounds) gives
Eyimofe a really distinctive ambience. Technical merits are first rate and the supplements, while occasionally on the odd
side (what is up with that shirt commercial?), are very enjoyable.
Recommended.
Use the thumbs up and thumbs down icons to agree or disagree that the title is similar to Eyimofe. You can also suggest completely new similar titles to Eyimofe in the search box below.
