“Her Dark Past” Review: MultiChoice Talent Factory’s Project Embraces Stylistic Complacency 

Her Dark Past is the latest film project of the MultiChoice Talent Factory, a programme for the development of emerging creative African talents in film and television. The film is about Tosin Nwosu, a flourishing relationship coach who  keeps secrets from her husband Chidi, which threatens her blissful marital life. Starring in it are Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman in the lead role of Tosin, Daniel Etim-Effiong, and Iremide Adeoye. Being the result of a workshop, the film has a cast and crew that includes beneficiaries of the programme. This, in a way, makes it an experimental production, though with familiar themes and a clear direction. The themes include trauma, guilt, mental health, sexual violence and the precarious nature of social media.

In the first scene, Tosin is seen holding an Instagram live session where she discusses relationship issues with her audience. This moves quickly into her beautiful home where she shares a brief intimate moment with her husband before he sets out to work. But when her husband says in passing that their daughter Lotanna might need a sibling, you get the hint that all is not well. Tosin falls into a trance in which she draws closer to a newborn baby. Another day, while she is sleeping, she dreams of seeing her palms stained with blood. This is a relatable symbol. Anyone can easily deduce that Tosin has been previously involved in taking someone’s life, whether intentionally or accidentally. While symbols of the crying baby and bloodied hands serve the purpose of suspense, making you interested in how the story further unfolds, they open up the mind readily to predictions. It’s just quite easy to connect the dots.

Tosin has been observing therapy sessions, during which we learn that she has a secret she is not proud of. While she is reluctant to expose her secret to her husband, you can foretell that she would do so, one way or the other. That she has a public image to protect also puts her in a difficult situation, but then you smell blackmail even before it gets to the point where that hideous past is unwittingly exposed. At age seventeen, Tosin’s stepfather had raped and impregnated her, after which she poisoned him and then was delivered of a baby boy, Emmanuel. Due to the stigma, she had left home, forsaking her baby and a mother who took responsibility for the murder. While recalling Tosin’s past in graphic detail, the film raises awareness on issues of rape, child abuse, unwanted pregnancy and maternal negligence.

One notable incident in the film is when a 13-year-old Emmanuel shows up during Tosin’s book launch and delivers a secret note to her. Chidi arrives with Lotanna, and then a tense atmosphere ensues when Tosin introduces Emmauel as a nephew. She reacts with worry when she meets Emmanuel, a gesture that makes you sense ahead of time that he is her son. As the strain between the couple lingers, we learn that Chidi knows absolutely nothing about his wife’s background. The film wants us to believe that Chidi is an urbane, forgiving and responsible family man. But then, it is unthinkable that a responsible man would get married to a woman without knowing any of her relatives. In Nigerian society, marriage preparations strongly involve extended family members. Before any couple gets  married, they must first introduce and seek the approval of their families.

In the film, Dimeji is Tosin’s personal assistant who tries to kill the reconciled family of Nwosu after he discovers that the murdered sexual predator was, to him, a loving father. It’s true a person can wear many hats, including bad ones. However, while the unraveling of Dimeji as a vengeful villain comes as a shocking twist, it becomes a burden that further complicates the story. As typical of many Nollywood stories, good triumphs over evil and reconciliation saves the day. 

The uninspiring truth about Her Dark Past is its unwillingness to be different and outstanding as a Nollywood production. There’s nothing challenging or unique about the project, as its themes and overall style are rather commonplace yet faulty. With the level of progress that African film and television has made, it’s safe to imagine that this project will not stand the test of time. Where it probably ranks is among YouTube films that are shot for cash grabs. Or more frankly, it’s best left as an awareness campaign and imagined as the humble beginning of hopefully wonderful things to come for graduates of MultiChoice Talent Factory involved in the project.