The short film ‘White Agbada’, written and directed by Lande Yoosuf, is a quiet yet deeply spiritual exploration of what it means to be lost and to finally start listening to the voice that calls you home. It tells the story of Ibironke, a Nigerian-American woman battling depression who encounters a spiritual call to return to her homeland.

Though brief in runtime, the film manages to feel layered and introspective, offering a touching portrait of a woman’s struggle to find herself in a world that constantly demands that she be something else.
Ibironke appears to be going through a hard time. Nothing major is happening for her. No real spark, no breakthrough. She’s stuck in a loop of self-soothing with food, numbing her pain with indulgence and routine sex with a man she can’t call her own.

Her concerned sister suggests that she join her on a family trip to Nigeria for a spiritual cleansing of some sort, but Ibironke declines. She’d rather stay where she is, buried in her comfort zone, slouching through her days and finding solace in food. Yet, as the film unfolds, subtle and strange occurrences seem to remind her that perhaps there’s truth in what her sister said, and perhaps home is where she can find the healing she is looking for.

We later see Ibironke with her casual lover, a man she also hopes to partner with in opening a nail salon. It’s a small detail, but one that reflects her yearning for connection and stability, even if it’s misplaced. When we, the viewers, learn that he is engaged and expecting a baby, the weight of her situation becomes clear. She’s entangled in something empty and meaningless besides the sex. Another relationship that mirrors the loneliness she carries inside. Their argument that follows isn’t just about betrayal. It is also about Ibironke being reminded that she deserves to value her own self more, so that she can be seen.

She has another strange encounter that instantly awakens her and her desire to return home to reconnect with her ancestors. These sequences are subtle, but they carry immense symbolic weight. They represent the ancestral pull, the quiet voice of her lineage reaching through the noise of her modern life.

Lande Yoosuf’s writing feels intentional and measured. Every scene, every small gesture or glance, holds meaning. The film doesn’t spell things out, and that’s part of its beauty. You just have to pay attention. The clues to Ibironke’s pain and the hints of her healing are all there, woven delicately into the fabric of the story. It’s thoughtful storytelling that is simple yet powerful.

Idara Victor stars as Ibironke and gives a quietly moving performance. She carries the heaviness of someone who’s lost touch with her roots, her purpose, and her joy. Her demeanour, the slumped shoulders, the tired eyes, and the brief moments of hesitation all speak volumes. When a strange Nigerian woman says to her, “You should consider taking your talent back home,” Ibironke’s reaction is everything. She’s unsure whether she’s being complimented or scolded, and that moment captures so much of what the film is about. The confusion, the shame, the yearning for direction that she feels.

The film’s 12-minute runtime feels just right for the story it tells. It’s contained yet impactful, leaving you with enough to ponder. Still, it’s hard not to imagine what could come next. The ending feels like the beginning of something larger. A spiritual awakening, a trip home, a transformation yet to unfold, perhaps. You can’t help but hope that Lande Yoosuf writes and makes a feature-length film where we get to see Ibironke finally journey back to Nigeria, to face her roots, her ancestors, and perhaps herself.

‘White Agbada’ isn’t loud or overly dramatic; it is soft, introspective, and sincere. It speaks to the quiet battles that so many first-generation immigrants face, the struggle between the life they’ve built abroad and the life their spirit still recognises as home.

Rating 4/5