How much weight can a man carry before the burden becomes too heavy to bear? That question drives ‘Over the Bridge’, the psychological drama directed by Tolu Ajayi and written by Tosin Otudeko.
The film follows Folarin Marinho, a successful consultant whose professional achievements mask a growing storm of internal conflict. Tasked with overseeing a major infrastructure project in Lagos, he appears to embody strength and control, but beneath the surface lies a man unravelling.
Since its debut at AFRIFF, the film has journeyed across London, New York, Milan, Seattle, and Spain, earning praise for its powerful performances and nuanced storytelling.
A Story of Silent Struggles
Folarin, played with raw vulnerability by Ozzy Agu, is a consultant overseeing an ambitious infrastructure project in Lagos. On paper, he is accomplished, yet the story strips away his armour to reveal a man in turmoil. Otudeko, who once worked in consulting herself, planted the seeds of his struggle in her own memories.
“You realise it’s not just a spreadsheet; it’s people’s lives,” she said, recalling the immense responsibility that shaped her script. She was interested in the breaking point, the moment when external pressures catch up with internal battles. “Once that happens,” she explained, “you find it becomes almost impossible to cope.”
The Director’s Vision
Ajayi approached the story with equal parts rigour and empathy. For him, Folarin embodies the burden society places on men: to carry, to endure, and to remain silent. “Masculinity is meant to bear a burden,” he reflected. “But that burden-bearing can become a ticking time bomb if you don’t communicate.”
In the film, Ajayi turns silence into a powerful device. Instead of filling scenes with dialogue, he allows pauses, stillness, and unsaid emotions to reveal the character’s unravelling. “There are huge opportunities for storytelling that don’t involve dialogue,” he said. “Cinema has always been about showing.”
Spiritual Undercurrents
For Otudeko, the film’s exploration of mental health was inseparable from the spiritual. She described the character’s journey as both physical and spiritual, drawing on her belief that redemption often comes through unseen grace. “Sometimes our healing comes in ways we can’t explain: prayer, grace, or divine intervention,” she said.
That conviction infused the story with depth, elevating it beyond the struggles of corporate Lagos to a meditation on life’s redemptive possibilities. She even sees the film’s success – its festival runs in London, New York, Seattle, Milan, Spain, and across Africa – as evidence of divine guidance.
The Bridge as Symbol
The Third Mainland Bridge is more than a backdrop. In Nollywood, bridges often serve as generic establishing shots, but Ajayi and Otudeko reimagined it as a character in its own right. It divides as much as it connects, a metaphor for Folarin’s fractured existence and his hope for renewal. “We were playing with its symbolism,” Otudeko explained. “It connects as well as divides.”
The film’s imagery – blues, clouds, endless water – was crafted to immerse audiences in that symbolism, echoing Folarin’s own threshold between despair and rediscovery.
Journeys Abroad, Roots at Home
Since premiering at AFRIFF, ‘Over the Bridge’ has travelled widely, from Picturehouse Cinemas in London to intimate screenings in Spain, where the filmmakers exchanged ideas with audiences in family-like settings. Ajayi calls this global embrace “divine” and notes how viewers across cultures—from East Africa to the U.S.—found their own meaning in the story. “Our stories can travel,” he said.
“We just have to package them. Our stories are great.” Yet the film remains firmly grounded in Nigeria, a reflection of Lagos’s intensity and the cultural silence surrounding men’s mental health.
The Cast
The film’s resonance rests on its ensemble. Ozzy Agu delivers a layered performance as Folarin, while Paul Adams and Darasimi support him in pivotal roles. They are joined by Nollywood legends and rising stars: Joke Silva, Akin Lewis, Deyemi Okanlawon, Chimezie Imo, Segilola Ogidan, Oludara Egerton-Shyngle, Toyin Oshinaike, Ropo Ewenla, Elma Mbadiwe, Adeola Awodein and Adefemi Akinsanya. Together, they embody the pressures, fractures, and fleeting moments of compassion that shape Folarin’s world.
Collaboration and Creation
Otudeko praised Ajayi as “a director with vision”, someone who knew what he wanted yet welcomed collaboration. Their partnership—her script’s introspection meeting his cinematic eye—produced a film that is as intimate as it is expansive. Ajayi himself admitted the process changed him, reshaping how he thinks about cinema and reaffirming his belief in the universality of Nigerian stories.
Across the Bridge
Ultimately, ‘Over the Bridge’ is not just about a man’s collapse. It is about the possibility of finding one’s way back. Through silence, spirituality, and symbolism, Ajayi and Otudeko deliver a meditation on pressure and healing that is at once deeply Nigerian and profoundly universal. It is a reminder that while life’s burdens may overwhelm, there is always a bridge and always a way across.
