"Between Silence and Truth" is a Raw Exploration of a Marriage's Toughest Moments [#TAFM24]

Navigating the delicate complexities of marriage, grief, and time, this Nollywood drama offers a deeply human story with strong performances and emotional depth.

BETWEEN SILENCE AND TRUTH is a feature film, about 114 minutes long, directed by Adesuwa Omonzokpia and Adio Solanke. It was screened at The Annual Film Mischief 2024.

Warning: This is a spoiler-filled review for a movie that isn’t yet available to watch in the mainstream. Proceed with caution.

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I’m not the biggest fan of meet-cutes, but the opener of Between Silence and Truth had me grinning from ear to ear before I could even realize what I was doing. It might just be the best one I've seen in a Nollywood film.

Awele (Tope Olawoniyan) arrives for a first date with Daniel (Daniel Etim-Effiong), only to discover he was expecting to see someone else—her best friend, actually— judging from the picture she used on the Tinder-inspired app where they met. Daniel candidly admits he sees what he wants and sticks to it, referring to her friend, which understandably irks Awele. Just as she’s about to leave, she unwittingly references Rachael from the sitcom Friends, and surprisingly, Daniel catches the reference, responding with a follow-up line from Ross. In what could have been a make-or-break moment, this exchange lightens the mood, allowing Awele to engage, thawing the tension, and setting the stage for their relationship. The next scene fast-forwards years —the first of many back-and-forth jumps through time— revealing the couple waking up together, showing that they made it past that first awkward interaction long enough to be married.

However, this rosy picture quickly fades as the film delves into the issues plaguing their relationship.

Awele is portrayed as a workaholic who struggles to prioritize her marriage and her only child, Lulu—an issue that started during their courtship. The story offers glimpses of their past in small, measured doses, giving context to their growing divide without overwhelming the viewer with too much information.

Between Silence and Truth presents a nuanced exploration of marriage, focusing on the complexities faced by both partners. In a tense moment, Awele fears Daniel is about to divorce her, so she makes an impulsive decision to leave him in the middle of the night with their only child just after returning late from work. As she drives away, she gets into an accident while searching for her ringing phone—a careless move in truth, but it feels very true to the character given her established attachment to the device. This incident serves as a pivotal moment in the story, setting the stage for the emotional upheaval to follow.

The film does this a lot —skillfully setting up various plot points that lead to satisfying payoffs—it is one of its biggest strengths.

The accident marks a turning point for the couple. Daniel silently struggles with the loss of their child while trying to support Awele, who is now battling selective amnesia, which has affected her memories up to the last 10 years. Including that she was ever a mother. This contrast creates powerful tension as the film explores how both characters deal with grief and trauma in their own ways.

Daniel Etim-Effiong and Tope Olawoniyan deliver standout performances that anchor this character-driven narrative. Their chemistry, along with the strong support from the rest of the cast, adds emotional weight to the story. The non-linear storytelling style, shifting between different points in time, lets the audience piece together the fragments of their relationship. Much like toddlers seeking validation, we as viewers are drawn in, as the film skillfully delivers just enough at each key moment to maintain our investment and trust. This approach not only keeps the plot engaging but elevates the narrative beyond its seemingly simple premise, transforming it into a more compelling and layered experience.

If they still can, I’d suggest the filmmakers consider a slight adjustment to how the last couple of scenes play out. The moment when Awele and Daniel’s grief converges, and the truth is revealed, could benefit from more brevity. Ending it a little earlier might help preserve the emotional intensity that has been built up through the film. Similarly, the scene where Awele apologizes to her friend Charity (played by Bisola Aiyeola) could be trimmed. I believe the entire dialogue in that scene can be cut, and instead, the audience can interpret the shared looks between the characters as a silent moment of mutual forgiveness. This subtle change would, in my opinion, better maintain the emotional tone carried throughout the film.

All in all, I applaud the screenwriters, directors, actors, and everyone involved in this project. It’s clear that a great deal of effort went into bringing this beautiful story to life. This is truly a win, not just for them, but for Nollywood as a whole. Well done.