When building castles in the sand, it is important not to let the waves wash them away. When building your life on a lie, it is also important not to get caught. At least, those are the lessons learned by disgraced heroine Sylvia Phillips (Shalewa Ashafa), also known as Ivie Ojor, in Colour Me True, a family-focused film exploring themes of self-discovery, love, and redemption.
In 107 minutes, Sylvia, once a beloved television personality, faces the ugly side of fame when the public discovers that her persona is a facade. With backlash tearing her apart and her fiancée breaking up with her on live television after uncovering her “fraud,” she moves back in with her family after twelve years and realises how much has changed. While she lived the high life as a celebrity, her mother died, her sister Ruth (Eseosa Bernard) became an art teacher and adoptive mother to two girls, and her Aunty Mary (Amara Nwuechi) continues to resent her. As Sylvia attempts to make up for lost time, she comes to terms with her mistakes. There was nothing to lie about because family is family, blood or otherwise, and it is not something you can change.
Layer by layer, Colour Me True unmasks who the real Sylvia Phillips is. Is she the obnoxious celebrity obsessed with her brand and endorsement deals, or is she Ivie Phillips, the girl from humble beginnings who loves her family and would move the earth for them? The film cleverly weaves both personalities, allowing them to flow naturally through each scene until it settles on the more predictable choice, one that nevertheless suits the story it is trying to tell. The beauty of Sylvia’s arc lies in her quiet self-discovery as she spends time helping her sister with art, doing house chores, offering advice to her sister’s children, and vlogging as Ivie, not the public’s darling Sylvia. It is a simple but effective lesson on being grounded.
The film also introduces Sylvia as a philanthropist who owns and manages an orphanage. This sense of compassion seems to run in the family, as Ruth is a foster mother to Boma (Chimdya Nwigwe) and Giggles (Alison Adeeyinwo). However, the film leaves noticeable gaps by failing to show Sylvia actively engaging in philanthropy beyond being an angel investor in her sister’s business and makeshift orphanage. The narrative would have felt more truthful if what was said had been fully matched by what was shown.
Also, several moments in the film are genuinely beautiful, particularly in how they emphasise the importance of family at every stage of life. One pivotal scene sees the confused Boma run away after feeling undeserving of Ruth’s love and that of the Ojor family. When her birth mother threatens to kill her if she returns home, Boma gains clarity. Family is not blood; it is bond, and that is something money cannot buy.
Despite its strong emphasis on the idea that family is everything, Colour Me True stumbles again by leaning into familiar dramatic clichés. Sylvia’s trusted manager, Adolphus (Bucci Franklin), being the mastermind behind her downfall while posing as her knight on a white horse is an eye-roll moment that feels overdone. Worse still, the film remains unclear about his motivation beyond the implication that he wanted to be her lover. Sylvia also taking back her footballer ex after he publicly dumped her without allowing her a moment to explain her lie by omission plays out like a poorly judged romantic comedy beat. The final scene is cringe at best, but it is one of those moments where, if the shoe fits, you wear it. Idealistic? No. Realistic? Hardly. But it works for the film.
The performances in Colour Me True breathe life into its themes. The chemistry between Shalewa Ashafa and Eseosa Bernard is a joy to watch, as they convincingly embody the rhythms of sisterhood through their conversations, conflicts, and embraces. Child actors Chimdya Nwigwe and Alison Adeeyinwo elevate the film with their charm and their ability to carry the story’s emotional core. Bucci Franklin is particularly compelling as the wolf in sheep’s clothing, effortlessly selling the role with his tailored suits and million-dollar smile.
For what it is worth, Colour Me True is worth the watch. If its themes of family, redemption, and self-discovery do not immediately draw you in, the performances just might. The film does, at times, stick out like a sore thumb in its inability to fully weave its narrative threads together, but that is understandable given that this is director Toluwani Obayan Osibe’s feature film debut. In time, she will only get better.
While some scenes leave the canvas frustratingly empty, others come together to turn the less-than-two-hour runtime into a painting that, in its brighter moments, even Michelangelo might appreciate.
It will be interesting to see what the First Features Project has in store next year.
Colour Me True is currently showing on Prime Video.
Release Date: December 4, 2025
Runtime: 1 hour, 47 minutes, 29 seconds
Director: Toluwani Obayan Osibe
Cast: Shalewa Ashafa, Bucci Franklin, Eseosa Bernard, Nnamdi Agbo, Amara Nwuechi, Gerard Adebija, Chimdya Nwigwe, Alison Adeeyinwo, Stanley Ebuka