Dolapo Is Fine (2020) User Reviews

It's not about hair. It's about identity.

[tiarnanpyro · 8/10 · 6 November 2020]

Contrary to what the other reviewer says: I care. This film isnt just about a girl deciding between different hair styles, in fact it's more than that. Dolapo is told that in order to succeed in her dream profession its "assimilation first" she must get rid of her afro and use a whiter sounding name. Yet when Dolapo tries to conform, using the name Dolly and buying herself a wig we find that her character is becoming more uncomfortable with the idea of conformation to the white-centric workplace. The film wants you empathise for the character as you want her to succeed but not at the cost at her own identity and in my opinion it succeeds in doing so, and especially thanks to Dojin Ajiboye's acting.

In the end she must choose whether to follow the advice she was given by Daisy and conform or decide to stand out from the crowd and show off her true hair and heritage. This film is a very sweet and honest film with a lesson about identity at the heart of it. I would definitely recommend watching it and I'm excited to see more from the people involved!

Be Yourself

[bayodaniels · 8/10 · 15 November 2020]

This movie finished before a realized it was a short movie. It is a story about stereotypes, what you choose to believe and being yourself. Dolapo is a young and brilliant high school girl who is enthusiastic about working in Finance in the city. She is mentored by a black lady who already works in the city and believes there are certain appearances that will be accepted or welcomed in the city. She advises Dolapo about her hair and her name.

After an embarrassing occurrence at school, Dolapo made a decision to be herself....reverting back to her previous hairstyle and walking gallantly to the city for her interview.

It's a funny movie and I'll recommend it if you're looking for something quick to watch.

assimilation

[ferguson-6 · 7/10 · 8 January 2021]

Greetings again from the darkness. How much of one's self should be sacrificed or compromised to chase dreams? Dolapo is a Nigerian native attending a posh boarding school in the UK. She wants to pursue a "good" position in Finance at a top-notch firm in the city. Since she knows little of that world, she meets with a mentor for guidance.

Daisy (Joan Iyiola, also the film's co-writer) is a hardcore mentor. She advises Dolapo (Doyin Ajiboye) to change her afro hairstyle, improve her clothes, rehearse better interview answers, and even change her name. Daisy calls this "assimilation" and positions these changes as matter-of-fact necessities. Dolapo is frustrated, yet puts forth the effort.

Director Ethosheeia Hylton and co-writers Joan Iyiola and Chibundu Onuzo serve up a 15 minute short film that touches on stereotypes and identity, as well as 'no-harm-meant' racism by even the closest of friends. How do we hold on to who we are at a time when the world is telling us we need to "fit in"? The film is well made and Ms. Ajiboye delivers a nice performance in this film sure to spur conversation and debate.

Moving and hopeful

[ebeckstr-1 · 9/10 · 7 February 2021]

Wonderful short, well cast and well acted. I could have watched a full length movie with these characters.

A delightful short film

[thisisorganic · 10/10 · 25 July 2021]

Dolapo is Fine is a breath of fresh air! It tackles an important and culturally significant topic with a lightness that makes it an enjoyable watch from start to finish. The characters were all super relatable. This could easily be made into a feature - and I'd love to see it!

Great coming of age story

[laura-debar · 5/10 · 9 February 2021]

Whether it's your hair or something else, conforming to someone else's ideal can be problematic, as we see in this story. Also the good camera work and acting made me want to stick around till the end.

More than wonderful movie

[tirofestivals · 10/10 · 22 March 2021]

More than wonderful movie ! This movie has a great story, excellent acting, beautiful direction and pleasant plot . Thanks alot .

A Good Short About Decisions

[lambiepie-2 · 10/10 · 12 February 2021]

"Dolapo Is Fine' is a film short that shows the natural beauty of young women and the brightness of young people to accept who they are rather than succumb to who the world tells them they have to be.

This film centers on Dolapo, a young African teen who wants to work in finance. We find that Dolapo has experienced a 'leg up' as she is in a posh boarding school, has a best friend she hangs with, and gets an opportunity to meet with a woman she admired to help mentor her in her finance career goals.

She meets with her 'hero' Daisy (who we can determine right off the bat that the adage of "never meet your heroes" fits). Daisy begins by telling her she needs to 'assimilate first' to be taken seriously 'downtown,' and that should start with changing Dolapo's name and hairstyle. Why? Because that is what she did.

This film's beauty is in watching this young lady stumble a bit but decide on what works for her instead of being told what does. What worked for Daisy may not work for Dolapo, but this is what Dolapo has to discover. And the vile and bitterness of the mentors, thank goodness, did not work for her.

While the main character is a young African girl with natural hair Afro asked to assimilate (straighten her hair and come up with a more palatable sounding nick-name) to gain acceptance into the career of finance she seeks, it is a universal occurrence. One can easily replace her with ANY young woman from any Country.

"Assimilation first" just happened to be one of those things a lousy mentor will harp on. So what does one do when they are first starting? Who to listen to? When faced with it, it is up to young people to decide - be yourself or "assimilate". What works for you? If it worked for them, can you be sure it works for you? If one chooses assimilation, does it make you fade into the crowd, lose your identity, or do you wish to stand out in the group - or do you want just to be you and show them what you can do to help them grow.

You'll find that in this film short, this young person, Dolapo, is fine. And that is a refreshing side to show as it lets you know you are fine too.

A name as manifesto

[program-85357 · 10/10 · 5 October 2021]

First of all we were happy to have this film at our Festival of family and children's films Zero Plus (Russia)!

It's really an inspiring story especially for growing children who need to be encouraged to be themselves!

It's safe to say that self-identification as a subject is a cornerstone of every piece of art. Nearly all stories in the world tell us about a protagonist who's eager to know who he/ she really is. Some heroes begin their seeking with deeds, others - with failures, some even try to dissociate themselves from everything and see themselves in solitude. One way or the other, this journey of self-exploration requires certain moral efforts.

Short live-action film "Dolapo is fine" by Ethosheia Hylton speculates on topic of true and false, basing the story on the smallest semantic unit - a name. Our name acknowledges our being, we're named so we exist. Thus, it's painful to see the main character being discriminated against in this basic right.

Ethosheia Hylton looks at the problem of social adaptation through magnifying glass and shows us how something unique transforms into "convenient", ethnic into global.

Young African girl named Dolapo is invited to a job interview. But the interviewer thinks that her name is too ethnic and hardly pronounceable, her hair is too fluffy, - and they will make it difficult for Dolapo to be accepted at work. This is how Dolapo becomes "Dolly" with totally new "convenient" look..

On the way to her true self Dolly-Dolapo faces harshness, lack of understanding, insecurity, mocking.. Until one day she meets another girl, magically appeared from a bad joke about a wig. And this encounter will give her speech and power of being herself. Dolapo is fine indeed!

Short but effective

[janetgyimah · 10/10 · 5 January 2021]

This short film was maybe not of the highest production but I think this factor adds a touch of authenticity to the film. The actress was flawless in both her looks and her acting skills, I am highly impressed. The story line is also very effective; a young Nigerian student who seems to attend a private school in the UK, is getting ready to take her next step into her career and is yet again being faced with the fact that some unique characteristics about her will not allow her to pursue her dreams or become the woman her family wants her to become. The film opens with Dolapo being advised by a successful African business woman who seems to have had to 'westernise' herself to fit into the working environment is in the UK, to perhaps be like her, If she wants to go far in her career, and the film ends with the woman looking perplexed as she realises Dolapo chose not to take her advice. It's a representation of the choices women from the same ethnic background have to face. Either be successful at the cost of their identity or keep their identity at the cost of their 'success'. As the targeted audience, I have learnt that I SHALL keep my identity wherever I go, in whatever environment I am in, because, I, CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.