When a couple's world collapses and they struggle to fulfill their traditional gender roles, society, especially men, often finds it difficult to adapt to new roles despite it being the most sensible choice. Before We Fall Asleep illustrates this point.
In a typical African society, a man is the main provider exhibiting toughness and quiet strength. In their roles, women are meant to stay home and manage the household and children. This nuance is confronted in Before We Fall Asleep. What happens if these roles are switched between a couple?
The romance drama, which is a part of the second edition of Zikoko Life, follows Chinazo, a career-driven and hard-working woman who is cohabiting with the father of her child, Tola.
The couple are not married but clearly they love each other. When Tola suddenly loses his job, they are forced to navigate life-changing decisions around their finances and relationship.
As Chinazo steps up to become the breadwinner, Tola doesn't mind at first. Soon, however, his ego gets in the way and he struggles to accept the reality that Chinazo caters for the family. Whether their switched roles will make or mar their love becomes the direction the film takes.
If there was anything that captured the nuance of the short film, it is Chinazo’s question to her partner. “You were embarrassed because I paid?” she asked him. In just six lines, she described and painted a typical societal stereotype around gender that continues to thrive even today.
Women who earn money to support their homes are not supposed to spend it in the presence of a man because it is the man’s right to do so. Tola’s response confirmed the aphorism. “It’s off. It looked off,” he replies. A family is falling apart. Should it really matter who pays?
As a story, Before We Fall Asleep, directed by Kaelo Iyizoba, doesn't do too much with ‘unnecessary’ drama but leans into the honesty of the situation. This was Iyizoba’s entry into the story as a director and it worked. There was also a noticeable synergy between Iyizoba’s creative direction and the cinematography.
Camera movements focused on character expressions from happy to sad and frustration, with more close and medium shots that allowed the audience to feel and relate with the actions closely. For instance, the film opens with Tola and Nazo’s close-up frames as they prepare for work. Their chemistry was felt up close. Sound design follows cinematography without being intrusive to dialogues. Audiences heard what they needed to hear across scenes and actions.
The film also subtly confronts the difficult questions couples shy away from —financial responsibilities. Tola’s sudden loss of his job signals that he and Nazo had probably never talked or projected the worst-case scenarios in their relationship to help them prepare for the future. Many couples could talk about anything but often never about their finances until reality sets in.
In the local Igbo Language of Nkporo people, there's a saying that goes: “Ma eji onwu me tu, yo dika o na a gbu egbu.” This translates to: If you don't imagine death, it often feels like it doesn't kill. This emphasises the room for projections because there's a reason the expression ‘what if’ exists.
Nazo’s mother buttresses this in the film when she says, “Have you asked yourself: What will you do if he doesn’t get a job?” Questions like this often seem like projecting negativity in a typical traditional family but they are often the most profound questions to ask in relationships yet many don’t. They would rather hide under motivations with no clear projections and plans to mitigate unexpected financial difficulties.
Among the themes explored in Before We Fall Asleep, gender roles shine best, hence why it is memorable. It reminds audiences that taking responsibility and being accountable in love has nothing to do with gender.
Before We Fall Asleep preaches that as a man, one’s worth isn't only reduced to provision alone, one can step in different ways for family likewise a woman. In the end, what matters is the understanding between two people who are willing to make an effort to make things work. The short film also explores love, intimacy and financial challenges.
The chemistry between Tobi Bakre of Brotherhood and Onyinye Odokoro of Baby Farm as a couple was decent. Both actors gave a natural performance.
Rita Edochie brings her veteran motherly role to the story, though predictable. Baby Feyi is one commendable performance. Her cry was real enough for her parents' situation, intensifying their frustration on screen.
As a newborn, baby Feyisola delivered one of the most adorable and annoying baby scenes. Her role unintentionally forced her parents’ to confront conversations they were shying away from and that was the whole point—communication.
They just needed to talk, understand their differences and find a workable solution as partners. The chaos continued until they had their outburst and saw reasons to work together instead.
“We are going to be fine. We'll look through our finances and see what we can cut back on,” this was Nazo’s consoling words to Tola when he lost his job. It was one of the heartwarming moments in the film, where instead of judging her partner, she was ready to step up for him.
Again, Before We Fall Asleep is proof that good stories sometimes don't need a big production budget, unending scenes and many cast members, it just needs heart, relatability, honesty and it will definitely find its audience.
Release Date: August 1, 2026
Runtime: 30 minutes, 45 seconds
Streaming Platform: YouTube
Director (s): Kaelo Iyizoba
Cast (s): Tobi Bakre, Rita Edochie, Taye Arimoro, and Onyinye Odokoro.
