By the time the end credits rolled at AFRIFF on Wednesday night, the cinema was still holding its breath. That’s what Fractured does to you: it makes you tense, makes you doubt, and most of all, makes you feel.
This masterful psychological thriller from Kayode Kasum doesn’t simply depict a woman unravelling under the weight of her own mind; it invites you to peel back the layers of your own reality, leaving you questioning what is true and what is merely an illusion as you embark on this unsettling journey.
Premiering at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), Fractured is the latest proof that Nollywood can do psychological thrillers, and do them well.
It’s bold, immersive, and at times claustrophobic. It doesn’t pander to its audience, nor does it rely on cheap twists. Instead, it drags you, slowly, beautifully and cruelly through the fragmented mind of its lead character until you, too, feel fractured.
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The Story
Fractured follows Tosin Aigo (Atlanta Bridget Johnson), a high-flying CEO whose life begins to unravel after her company goes public.
From the outside, she has it all: the loving husband, the dream career, the polished social circle. But from the first scene, a therapy session that quickly blurs into a hallucination, we sense that something is amiss.
One day, Tosin comes home to find her husband sprawled lifeless on the floor, and from that moment, the line between truth and illusion dissolves.
She begins to see a bloodied woman. Her emails morph on screen from calm explanations into raging accusations. Her friends whisper. Her husband gaslights. Reality bends, then breaks.
Her breakdown culminates in an act of violence at work that forces her into psychiatric care, but even that reality feels slippery. Soon, buried memories of her childhood resurface: a twin sister, an orphanage, and a father whose death may have rewritten her mind forever.
The more she fights for clarity, the more we realise the real battle is not just against her trauma, but against the people she loves most.
The Mind Breaks Before the Body Does
The film captures the essence of Kasum’s storytelling. With each scene, we descend deeper into Tosin’s psyche: mirrors distort, sounds echo long after they should have stopped, and conversations feel one step removed from reality.
This is Kasum’s most mature directorial work yet. Known for commercial hits like Soole, Ajosepo, and Afamefuna, he’s no stranger to success. But Fractured marks a different turn, a leap from the external chaos of Nigerian society to the internal chaos of the human mind.
Working once again with Atlanta Bridget Johnson, this being their third collaboration after Reel Love and Afamefuna, Kasum leans fully into psychological territory.
Together, they build a portrait of a woman teetering on the edge, both terrified and terrifying. Atlanta carries the film on her shoulders with an unnerving calm that slowly decays into desperation.
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A Tightrope Between Sanity and Suspicion
The strength of Fractured lies in its tension. There isn’t a wasted frame. The cinematography by Oluwamuyiwa Olugbenga Oyedele (Mr Movies) is slick but never flashy; the camera follows Tosin like a paranoid shadow, keeping her (and us) on edge.
The sound design, sharp and intentional, amplifies the anxiety. Every creak, every silence, every whisper is weaponised to make us uncomfortable. You can almost hear Tosin’s thoughts colliding with each other, bleeding into the environment.
Supporting performances from Uzor Arukwe, Shaffy Bello, Daniel Etim Effiong, Toke Makinwa, and Tope Tedela enrich the world, even if not all their characters are fully explored.
But perhaps that’s the point: Fractured doesn’t waste time explaining everyone else. It’s about Tosin’s perception, and in her world, no one is entirely clear.
Kasum’s Evolving Cinema
Kayode Kasum has built a career balancing artistry and accessibility, a rare feat in Nollywood. His commercial record speaks for itself: four top-10 Netflix hits in 2021, box office milestones nearing ₦1.5 billion, and films that have dominated both local and streaming platforms. Yet, Fractured feels like a deliberate rebellion against that comfort zone.
Co-produced by Tolu Babs Omish and Muyiwa Idowu, with a screenplay by Dare Olaitan, the film benefits from the precision of a team that clearly trusts each other’s instincts.
A Genre Nollywood Needs More Of
Psychological thrillers remain one of Nollywood’s most underexplored genres. For years, the industry has excelled at romance, family drama, and social satire, but films that interrogate the mind are rare. Fractured fills that void.
It doesn’t moralise or overexplain. It asks uncomfortable questions instead: What does success cost? What does love look like when filtered through control? And when you can’t trust your own memories, who gets to decide what’s true?
If Fractured performs well on release, it could signal a new wave of filmmakers daring to trade melodrama for madness, and that’s a future Nollywood desperately needs.
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