Da Yie (2019)

Directed by: Anthony Nti | 20 minutes | drama, short film | Actors: Prince Agortey, Matilda Enchil, Goua Robert Grovogui, Ma Abena, Zadi Wonder, Malcolm Bader, Anthony Nti

‘Da Yie’ is set in Ghana. Matilda and Prince are young children having fun playing football in the square. Actually, Prince should have been home by now; his mother’s fear of punishment is deeply ingrained. When he comes home – too late – she is so angry that he flees again. Back to Matilda. When the two friends see an expensive car, with Bogah in it, they start talking. Bogah invites the duo to a buffet and that is very attractive in the eyes of the children. So they get in the car with the stranger. Matilda is in the front passenger seat and Prince is in the back seat. This actually visualizes the characters of the two: Matilda is fearless and sees no bears in the road, Prince is a bit more reserved and looks the cat out of the tree.

But Bogah knows exactly what to say to finally put Prince at ease. After the buffet and a visit to the beach (for the characters in the film the first time they see the sea, but also for both non-professional child actors – the elation and wonder is therefore not played out) watching a football match on a terrace the ultimate end to a perfect day. In the back of the viewer’s mind and of course Prince’s as well, the knowledge that Prince’s mother (we don’t know anything about Matilda’s family situation) must be incredibly worried. And then Bogah’s true intentions come out.

‘Da Yie’ tells a small story, but has quite an impact. The natural playing cast and the staging are fine. This could easily have turned into a feature film if the characters had been fleshed out a bit more. A beautiful story about what peer pressure does to a person – and how we can never seem to escape it, even though we are adults.