With story written by Paul S. Rowlston & Abdul Tijani-Ahmed, directed by Wingonia Ikpi, produced by Chioma Ezeani & Executively produced by Steve Gukas & Dotun Olakunri, this film titled “The Lost Days” released to Prime Video globally on the 11th of July, 2025 is currently available on the streamer.
SYNOPSIS: (MAY contain spoilers)
Mrs. Chisom (portrayed by Ifeoma Fafunwa), a billionaire widow has just been declared free from cancer (Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma). Seeing her life flash right before her very eyes prior, relieved by the news, she decides to travel back to her past (literally) as she visits an old friend Mr. Kolawole (played by Bimbo Manuel). On getting there, things start to unfold.
STORY/PLOT:
The story is a freshly wholesome one. It’s a departure from the rampant love stories of young adults that has proliferated our movie industry for the longest. Just like Jade Osiberu’s “Christmas in Lagos” (released in 2024), this film takes its approach on romance from the lens of an older generation. Alhough this is an advantage for the production, the plot is one that is however not as solid. The movie takes off on a promising note. Rather than continue on that momentum, it melts into a slow burn. An impatient viewer may not think twice to click away. Nevertheless, the theme of surviving cancer and the intrigue behind the lead character’s journey is concrete enough to keep any interested viewer going to see where it’s headed. This makes the film unpredictable.
The sequencing is brilliant as it dishes out plot twists after plot twists quite strategically. The first plot twist hits in the first act of the film. It is wrapped in suspense. It then plunges viewers into the second act which reveals another plot twist. Just when you think you’re done having jaw-dropping twists thrown at you, another plot twist hits like a bömb-shell in the third act. Quite an ingenious tool employed by the writer in conjunction with the director, I must say. This makes the film engaging, relatable and captivating throughout albeit the pacing remains a slow one.
The 2hours 8minutes long drama sheds its light on second chances. It also highlights a societal issue that may surprisingly still be subtly obtainable in some families even in this modern day and age. This is the theme of inter-tribal marriage palaver. Furthermore, it looks at the loneliness of a widower and his struggles in raising kids who appear to have opposite interests and views and the shocking revelation in the end.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:
The sequencing is done in a manner that explains the characters in a natural form. Viewers are carried along in a storytelling style that does this with ease. The film opens with Mrs. Chisom & her daughter Nkem (portrayed by Cynthia Clarke) in the doctor’s office receiving the excitingly relieving news. It progresses to another scene where Nkem believes her mum is travelling back to her hometown Nsukka unbeknownst to her that she’s going to Abeokuta where she meets Kolawole. We’re then made to understand that Kolawole has two sons as we meet his youngest Kola (played by Okutagidi Durotimi) & the oldest, Moses (portrayed by Baaj Adebule). This is done smooth, precise and clear.
CASTING/PERFORMANCE/DELIVERY:
The performance by the lead actors is commendable, believable and impressive. Ifeoma Fafunwa is a charming lady. Pairing her with Cynthia Clarke for a mother-daughter role couldn’t have been more apt. The make-belief resemblance between them is evident so much so one wonders if they’re truly related outside the screen. Baaj is such a handsome young man whose infectious smile could set hearts melting just by watching him. He put up a brilliant performance here too. Cynthia Clarke also did great but in the scenes where she expressed nervousness and anxiety, something was either missing or excessive. I felt a bit uneasy watching her interpret that aspect of her role as it wasn’t as compelling as I know her to be; something seemed off! Nonetheless, she’s an actress that keeps you glued due to her poise, physique and general camera presence.
EXECUTION/OUTCOME:
This movie is educative, informative, insightful and entertaining and it sets out to do just that. However, at the end of watching this, viewers would find that there are more questions to ask than the answers they’re given. Even the reason for one of the plot twists is not believable as it gives rise to a head scratching moment and even more questions. One I mustn’t fail to ask is “Is Moses Kola’s son or not?” Moving forward, After the very last scene of this movie, I found myself wondering “is that it?” This watered down the build up of the story that one wonders if there’d be a sequel to explain the many questions.
LOOPHOLES:
There are some loopholes here that can’t be ignored but the most obvious of them is when Mr. Kolawole says “when we were going to the festival, we left her here (at home)” This statement is made in reference to Mrs. Chisom. Meanwhile, both Kolawole & Chisom were shown to have gone to the said festival together. This was actually confusing. I guess the script writer either forgot that part of the script or the script supervisor, as an oversight did not pick up on the error to correct it during or post-production.
Another part of this film that is hard to believe is in the beginning when Chisom visits Kolawole and the impression we have is that for THIRTY WHOLE years or so, the duo had lost any form of communication and Kola didn’t even so much as know Chisom’s daughter’s name. The pact or agreement they had as we’re later told even makes this less believable as it doesn’t add up.
TECHNICALITIES:
Camera quality is good. Audio, location & props are okay. Costume & makeup is great. The attention to injury details is commendable. Several scenes later, we still see some scars resulting from the kidnapping on Mrs. Chisom’s wrist. That was particularly noticeable and impressive. Continuity is flawed in some aspects.
TAKE-HOME LESSONS:
This film is one that has some lessons that can’t be overlooked despite its flaws and weaknesses:
- If it’s meant to be, it will be! This is seen in the story of Chisom & Kola who despite the wedge put in their relationship, they still found their way back three decades after.
- You never really know a person. Even your own child whom you can vouch for could turn out to be the devil themselves
- Some persons put up a personality that comes off as tough, fierce and vengeful but deep down when push comes to shove, you’d see otherwise.
CONCLUSION:
Despite its shortcomings, this film is interesting if you can look past its pacing. It highlights regrets, self reflection, recollection, retribution. It’s educational and relatable. Perhaps if a more careful thought had been put into its delivery and execution, this would have come out nicer than it did. It started well, progressed averagely and ended though on a preachy note but a somewhat underwhelming one.
VERDICT: 5/10
