Call of My Life

Call of My Life is the kind of film that Nigerian cinema needs more of — a deeply personal drama about a woman confronting the gap between the life she planned and the life she has lived. Sharon Ooja plays Dr. Chidinma Okafor, a Lagos cardiologist who, after a near-fatal accident, begins to question whether the career she sacrificed everything for is actually her calling or someone else’s expectations wearing her name.

Ooja delivers her most nuanced performance to date. The film asks her to carry long, dialogue-light sequences of introspection, and she does so without resorting to the grand emotional signalling that can undercut quieter films. Her work here should recalibrate how the industry casts her — she is far more interesting as a dramatic actress than her romantic comedy roles have suggested.

Producer-director Blessing Uzzi, known for character-driven storytelling, brings a steady hand to the material. The pacing is deliberate — perhaps too much so in the second act, where the film circles its themes rather than advancing them. But the final thirty minutes are genuinely moving, culminating in a hospital scene that earns every emotion it reaches for.

Blossom Chukwujekwu is warm and grounded as Chidinma’s husband, and the Lagos medical world is rendered with convincing detail. A film of real quiet power.

Verdict: Slow-burning and sincere. Sharon Ooja proves she is one of the most underutilised dramatic performers in Nollywood.