Da Yie: Review

7th March 2021

By Liam Trump.

Anthony Nti’s second short film, Da Yie is a profound look into innocence and bravery. The wonder of that many people experience in their childhood is shown in a genuine way that never feels over the top or unrealistic. The scope is small, but this doesn’t stop the Nti from creating a story that’s anything but meaningless.

The story of Da Yie chronicles the day long journey of Prince and Matilda. Their day starts out with Matilda calling Prince to see if he wants to leave his house and join here on the football field. He joins her but when he comes back, his mother is waiting for him. He narrowly escapes her and goes back to Matilda.

This leads to them meeting a stranger named Bogah. He takes them all over the town; from a buffet to the beach. He talks of bravery and fighting one’s fears, all things that create a bond between the three of them. They finally drive to a place where they can watch the football games and it seems like their day together is over.

Things get complicated when Bogah’s real intentions are revealed. He started out as a kind, advice giving stanger, but through the phone calls he has on the car ride to his friends house, it’s obvious that his good nature was just a front to get close to Prince and Matilda.

The way that Prince and Matilda’s innocence is presented couldn’t’ve been done any better. All of the camera moments mirror the freedom that these children experience and the shaky cam actually works in the scenes it’s used in. The music adds to this and together, the camerawork and music both set up the initial tone of the story.

Very few things stick out as being inherently bad in Da Yie. The characters sadly don’t have much time to develop and come off as one dimensional. This doesn’t really affect the film too negatively since the characters aren’t the focal point in the first place, but it would be nice if they were more well rounded.

In the end, though, Anthony Nti created a short film that harshly looks at how innocence and wonder can act as a gateway for a sinister story to unfold. There’s a clear vision here that naturally progresses the first half to the second without a jarring tonal shift. Overall, Da Yie is a strong second outing for Nti that will show any audience member the dark parts of one’s childhood.

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