A few weeks ago, we shared what you should expect from watching Temidayo Abudu Makanjuola’s “A Night in 2005.” On Saturday, October 26, we went a step further to host 11 Nigerian ladies to watch the film itself in an exclusive watch party!
Throughout the evening, we found ourselves reflecting on everything from love and friendship to the challenges of balancing our dreams with reality. Each scene sparked conversations that felt both personal and universal. It was a reminder of how much our experiences shape us and how films can reflect our own life journeys.
P.S: Don’t read further if you hate spoilers!
What do the girls have to say about watching A Night in 2005?
What do the girls have to say about watching A Night in 2005?“There is a difference between having a kink and violence against women.”
One of our guests, Maro, observed that Opeyemi Dada, the gubernatorial candidate for Lagos State, and the man who raped the protagonist, Ifedairo Ajayi, had a sexual kink of strangling women when he had sexual intercourse with them.
For Maro, it becomes a question of, “Where do we draw the line between having fetishes and sexually assaulting women?” This is such an important question to reflect upon, especially in issues of consent between couples. The matter of consent can be a tricky space to navigate, especially in relationships where the lines are blurred. In the case of choking as a sexual fetish, consent should still be sought even during the act.
As much as possible, it is necessary to always reiterate consent before engaging in intimate activities.
“I love the way the women teamed up”
Teamwork makes the dream work, and this was true in the story of the women in A Night in 2005. Several of the ladies who watched the film said that they loved one of the final scenes where Ari, Ife, and Kelechi Dada teamed up to pull a pretend kidnap on Opeyemi, so as to expose his wicked deeds.
“I love how they noted the word “females” as a sign of misogyny”
One of the ladies, Vera, also spoke on her observance of the word “females” from Opeyemi Dada and how he used it in the final kidnap scene in an insulting way. This reminded her of the different ways men use slurs such as gold-digger, slut etc. to downgrade women in real life.
“Great acting all round!”
Finally, the general consensus was that the acting was superb, especially from a Nollywood film, with great character and story development.
So, if you haven’t watched “A Night in 2005,” what are you waiting for? It’s available at every FilmHouse Cinema nationwide near you!
