If you are not a fan of slow-paced movies, or you are the type of viewer who needs plenty of drama, action and constant twists to stay interested, Between Silence and Truth may test your patience.

This is not a movie that rushes anywhere.

The Nigerian emotional thriller, directed by Adesuwa Omonzokpia and Adio Solanke, takes its time exploring marriage, family expectations, grief, resentment and the consequences of keeping painful things buried. At 1 hour and 46 minutes, there were moments when the pacing started to feel tiring. I found myself wondering when the story was finally going to get to the point.

But interestingly, the writers managed to keep enough questions hanging in the air to make me stay until the end.

And that, for me, is one of the movie’s biggest strengths.

What Is Between Silence and Truth About?

The film follows Daniel and Awele, a married couple whose already troubled relationship takes an unexpected turn after a devastating accident leaves Awele with amnesia.

But the accident is only part of the story.

Before everything goes wrong, Daniel and Awele’s relationship is already carrying years of emotional baggage and unresolved issues.

Interestingly, their relationship itself begins with a mistake.

When Daniel first meets Awele after connecting with her online, he mistakenly believes that Awele is her friend Charity because of a photograph on Awele’s profile. The mix-up eventually gets corrected, but Daniel and Awele still begin a relationship that eventually leads to marriage.

As their marriage progresses, however, Daniel starts seeing similarities between Awele and his own mother.

Daniel grew up in a home where his mother was the major breadwinner. His father was not necessarily an irresponsible man, but his mother’s financial strength created tension in the family and eventually contributed to the breakdown of his parents’ marriage.

Awele’s own childhood carries a similar dynamic. Her mother was the one who took responsibility for the home, while her father was largely absent from the picture.

For Daniel, history appears to be repeating itself.

Awele is frequently away from home because of her work, and her absence begins affecting the family. Daniel becomes increasingly worried that his marriage is heading in the same direction as his parents’ marriage.

Instead of openly confronting the problem, however, he secretly begins the process of filing for divorce.

And that decision becomes the beginning of an even bigger problem.

A Marriage Built on Unspoken Problems

One thing I appreciated about the film is that it does not make either Daniel or Awele completely innocent.

Awele clearly has problems of her own. She is often absent from home and seems disconnected from the emotional needs of her child and husband.

But Daniel is also making decisions based on his fears and past experiences.

Rather than communicating honestly about his concerns, he secretly files for divorce. He is not even completely convinced that divorce is what he wants, but he keeps the papers hidden.

Eventually, Awele discovers them.

Angry and overwhelmed, she leaves the house with her child while driving. She gets into an accident, and when she wakes up, parts of her memory are gone.

She remembers aspects of her childhood, including the relationship between her parents and the role her mother played as the provider.

But she does not remember having a child.

She also does not remember the problems that had developed in her marriage or the divorce papers Daniel had secretly filed.

And this is where the movie becomes particularly interesting.

When Someone Forgets the Problem

After the accident, Awele’s personality and behaviour change significantly.

The woman we see after the accident is almost completely different from the person we were introduced to earlier.

She becomes more demanding, argumentative and self-centred, while the people around her understand that something is fundamentally wrong.

Charity notices the changes and tries to make Awele understand how her behaviour has affected Daniel and the family. But their conversation eventually turns into a serious argument, further damaging their friendship.

Then the accident changes everything.

Because Awele cannot remember what happened before it, she returns home believing that things are normal. Daniel, Charity and the others are forced to deal with a strange situation where the person at the centre of the problem doesn’t even remember that there was a problem.

There is something emotionally uncomfortable about watching everyone play along while the truth remains hidden.

Eventually, Awele begins putting the pieces together.

And when she finally understands what has happened, the movie gives her an opportunity to acknowledge her mistakes and apologise to both Daniel and Charity.

But by this point, it is clear that Daniel also has some explaining to do.

Daniel’s Trauma Is More Complicated Than It Looks

Daniel’s biggest problem is not simply that he wants a divorce.

It is that he has allowed his childhood experience to influence the way he sees his marriage.

He sees his mother in Awele and becomes convinced that he is heading towards the same fate as his father.

That fear is understandable, but his response to it is questionable.

Instead of dealing with the issue openly, he starts planning a secret divorce.

The movie therefore avoids making the conflict a simple “bad wife versus suffering husband” story.

Both characters have contributed to the breakdown of the relationship, and both have things they need to confront.

The Emotional Side Works

One of the things Between Silence and Truth does quite well is allowing us to feel the emotional weight of what the characters are experiencing.

There is a particularly painful element surrounding Daniel’s grief and the death of his daughter.

Daniel is struggling to keep the reality of her death hidden while he is still grieving himself. His moments of going into the little girl’s room and crying alone are among the scenes that make the character feel more human.

Instead of simply telling us that Daniel is grieving, the film gives us moments where we can actually sit with that grief.

That emotional approach works.

The performances also help. Daniel Etim Effiong carries much of the emotional burden of the story, while Tope Olowoniyan’s portrayal of Awele gives the character room to change considerably as the story progresses. Bisola Aiyeola also brings an important presence as Charity, particularly because her character becomes one of the people willing to confront Awele about what is happening.

The supporting cast, including Tina Mba, Imotunde Adeyemo, Eloho Festus, Kayode Ojuolape, Elvis Duke and Toyin Oshinaike, add to the family and relationship dynamics.

The Flashbacks Could Have Been Better

This is probably my biggest criticism of the film.

There are quite a lot of flashbacks, and some of them begin to feel unnecessary.

I’m not talking about moments where a character remembers something naturally. I mean the deliberate flashbacks used to take us back and show us events that happened previously.

After a while, they started interrupting the flow of the present-day story.

Thankfully, the filmmakers seemed aware that the timeline could become confusing. The repeated “Present Day” subtitles were actually helpful and probably saved me from getting lost a few times. 😂

Still, I think the story could have been told more smoothly with fewer flashbacks and a little more trust in the audience to piece certain things together.

Does the Slow Pace Work?

This is where I had mixed feelings.

The movie is undeniably slow.

There were moments when I was getting tired of the pace, particularly because the film spends so much time sitting with the characters and their emotional problems.

But at the same time, I have to give credit to the writers.

Despite the slow pace, they managed to keep enough unanswered questions around the characters to make me want to see what would happen next.

That is not easy to do.

A slower movie can easily lose its audience when there is no compelling reason to continue watching. Between Silence and Truth occasionally comes close to that line, but it manages to pull you back by gradually revealing more about Daniel, Awele and the circumstances surrounding their marriage.

Final Thoughts

Between Silence and Truth is not a movie I would recommend to someone looking for fast-paced entertainment.

It is a slow-burning emotional drama that requires patience.

But beneath the slow pacing is a story about how childhood experiences can influence adult relationships, how unresolved resentment can damage a family, and how keeping the truth hidden does not necessarily protect the people involved.

I also liked that the movie did not make Daniel completely right simply because he was hurt. His fears were understandable, but some of his decisions were part of the problem too.

The flashbacks could have been reduced, and the pacing could certainly have been tighter. Still, the emotional performances, the central conflict and the mystery surrounding Awele’s lost memories kept the movie engaging enough for me to see it through.

For me, Between Silence and Truth earns a solid 6/10.

It may test your patience, but if you are willing to settle into its pace, there is enough emotional weight and curiosity here to keep you watching until the truth finally comes out.

Phisk Watch Rating: 6/10

Where to Watch: Between Silence and Truth is available on the official Bolaji Ogunmola TV YouTube channel.