Mofe and Rosa both live in the Nigerian capital Lagos and dream of a life in Europe. It takes Mofe quite some effort to make ends meet. During the day he works as an electrician to repair obsolete fuse boxes in a paper factory. At night he works as a security guard. Mofe has planned to emigrate to Spain. But before he can realize his dream, disaster strikes. After a long night shift, he finds his sister Precious unconscious.
Her children have already lost their lives. Carbon monoxide poisoning appears to be the culprit. Caused by the ramshackle generator that powers the cottage Mofe shares with his sister. Also in the second part of the film, which focuses on the worries of hairdresser and waitress Rosa, tragic and cheerful moments alternate. Rosa wants to settle in Italy in the future, but first she has to become financially independent and break away from her sugar daddy Mr. Vincent. A relationship with the rich American Peter seems to be the way out. But Peter quickly gives up when a Nigerian friend asks him if Rosa has already cheated on him. Embarrassed, Peter confesses that he bought her a phone. In Eyimofe, Nigerian-born twin brothers Ari and Chuko Esiri paint a colorful portrait of the metropolis of Lagos. Eyimofe was not filmed digitally but on old-fashioned 16mm celluloid and therefore looks won- derfully vintage. The camera takes the story past rich and poor, past houses built from corrugated iron, stately villas with swimming pools and everything in between. Gradually it becomes clear why there are residents of Lagos who want to leave their chaotic hometown and why some choose to stay. The film is also a cinematic paean to life in Lagos. A glimpse into a bustling city – the Esiris filmed at 48 locations – that is constantly in motion, although the traffic is invariably fixed. Eyimofe does not offer bite-sized solutions, but can be described more as a cinematic reflection of contemporary Lagos. Hope and de- spair are constantly at odds with each other. This leads to compromises: just like in real life, sometimes you have to put up with unexpected obstacles. The message: life isn’t necessarily worthless if you don’t get what you so wholeheartedly desire.
