FAME Week Africa Students Film Showcase 2025: Oliver Boje & Mila Nieman’s “Detour” Experiments Dangerously with Cross-genre Ideas

Detour fuses crime drama and romantic comedy in an unusual, ludicrous way that tugs at our attention. The 24-minute short film, written by Mila Nieman and co-directed with Oliver Boje, is set in the city of Cape Town, South Africa. It follows a recently estranged couple Michael and Liena who unexpectedly meet in the same Uber car where they argue and reveal to the intrigued driver Vusi the circumstances leading to their separation. Along the way, they are attacked by a notorious crime gang led by a female boss and held hostage. Through engagements with the criminal group and attempts to escape, the couple rekindle the love they have for each other—with the film ending on a pleasant note for the hostages and in tragedy for the criminals. The film spotlights the intricate nature of human relationships, how easily we can bond over shared struggles and our lives intersect in unexpected ways.

Opening with scenes of Michael and Liena preparing to hit the road for their respective endeavors, the film features a cartoonish soundtrack that complements the rush-hour movements. That is the first sign for us not to take whatever we are offered too seriously. The couple admit they were married for a day, to the amusement of us. Yet, they seem to have had several issues to contend with in such a short time of cohabiting—with Liena particularly annoyed at her husband’s attachment to an overbearing mother. This part of the film addresses the diverse expectations and complexities that accompany modern romantic relationships and marriages. Other amusing moments in the film arise in the interactions between the hostages and their captors, most especially in the last scene, where the gang get immersed in and dance to the entertaining voices of Michael and Liena. Although that scene takes an unpredictably tragic trajectory, it reveals the ability of the filmmakers to move seamlessly between two polar ends, drifting from immediate low-brow lightheartedness to abrupt tragic intervention.

Detour feels wickedly experimental but strangely tolerable. Its intentions are clearly mixed: to make you laugh, chuckle, frown, and even feel a touch of unease. However, there isn’t quite enough depth or passion to fully develop its ideas and trigger deep emotions. Perhaps its strongest point is its straightforward moral resolution, a familiar ending where the villains meet their fate, and the couple is saved. In the end, the couple reconcile, though they remain intrigued by Vusi’s enigmatic personality.