True Affection

True Affection is a short drama set in Lagos, Nigeria, written and directed by Nigerian-Canadian filmmaker Wale Matuluko. Sewa is a 26-year-old woman whose friends, family, and social circle constantly interrogate her about her prolonged singlehood. Her aunt delivers a blunt ultimatum at a lunch meeting: Sewa must find a partner before she turns 30. Her social world is already shifting toward engagements and marriage, deepening the pressure. To deflect judgment, Sewa claims to have a long-distance boyfriend, though his existence is kept deliberately ambiguous — she receives occasional wire transfers and flirtatious messages from a former admirer, but no genuine emotional presence. The film opens with a stylized black-and-white image of Sewa wearing a wedding veil, establishing the tension between her private romantic imagination and her waking reality. Dreamlike monochrome sequences recur throughout, suggesting a 'strange presence' in Sewa's inner life that complicates her pursuit of any real-world romance. A turning point arrives when her roommate hosts a birthday party, where a man named Cheta — warm, present, and genuinely interested — gravitates toward Sewa. Unlike her phantom long-distance admirer, Cheta is physically available and kind. A tentative romantic connection forms. The ending is deliberately unresolved: it is left unclear whether Sewa's movement toward Cheta represents authentic fulfillment or a quiet surrender to social expectation. The film is shot in a blend of English and Nigerian Pidgin English and is notable for its monochrome cinematography.

Sources: IMDb, The New Cinephile, NoBudge