The ghost and the house of truth mirroring a decrepit society

By Osa Amadi, Arts Editor

Twelve-year-old Nike is missing on her way home from school. Her mother, Bola Ogun,a singleparent, is distraught looking for her. She is her only child. The whereabouts of Nike’s father is unknown. Mrs. Ogun reports the case to the police and a woman Police Inspector acted by Kate Henshaw takes charge of the case.

The Inspector suspects that one Ayodeji raped Nike and killed her. At a point rumor in Nike school insinuates that Nike ran away to find her father, which was a distraction.

After divulging her suspicion of Ayodeji as the abductor and murderer of Nike, Bola, Nike’s mother gets obsessed with vengeance. She stalks Ayodji, who had been detained but released for lack of evidence. The inspectoralso suspects that one Susan Abayomi, Ayodeji’s lover,wasbought by Ayodeji’s lawyer to provide alibi for Ayodeji.

At the climax of the story, Nike’s mother procures a hand gun and with it, shoots Ayodeji to death believing he killed Nike.

But it is vengeance in error as the inspector uncovers the real culprit.

Now, Bola is detained and awaiting trial for murder.

One of the lessons in the movie is that self-help is no help.It tells a story of the streets with predominantly pidgin as language. It is a movie that draws attention to a rampant social problem which stares us in the face every time we open the pages of newspapers, tune our radio or TV sets – the horrible crime of sexual molestation of children with motives ranging from rituals to psychological perversions.

The ghost and the house of truth(TGTHT), a highly anticipated drama set in Lagos, Nigeria, isthe latest film from the stable ofTemple Productions.It is a second collaboration for the two, after the success of their award-winning Experimental Film, “A Hotel Called Memory”.TGTHT solidifies their intent on making Films with a purpose and a message.

The Film, which had its World Premiere in New York as part of the Urban World Film Festival, on the 20th of September 2019, won the Jury award for Best Narrative Feature World Cinema.It ispremiered in Nigeria as the closing film of the 9th Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) on the 15th of November 2019, and won three awards at the AFRIFF Globe Awards: Best Actress (KateHenshaw) Best Director (Akin Omotoso) and Best Nigerian Film.

TGTHT is a movie starringSusan Wokoma (BAFTA breakthrough Brit winner); Kate Henshaw (multiple award-winning actress); Fabian Lojede and Kemi Lala Akindoju.

The supporting actors include Toyin Oshinaike, OmoyeUzamere, Chioma ‘Chigurl’ Omeruah, Keira Heywatch, Oludara Egerton -Shyngle, Tope Tedela, Ugoma Adegoke, and others, plus an outstanding cast of child actors led by ImoleayoOlusanya as Nike.

The Director of Photography is KabeloThathe. It was directed by Akin Omotoso and produced by Ego Boyo.

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