Most of Fractured is a tedious stretch of dreary events that are only mildly bearable because the star of the show is easy to watch.
By Vivian Nneka Nwajiaku
Atlanta Bridget Johnson, one of Nollywood’s literal finest, reunites with Kayode Kasum in Fractured (2025), a psychological thriller and one of two films by the director to screen at this year’s Africa International Film Festival (the second being the faith-based drama, The Good Gift (2025)). Here, unlike their previous collaborations, Johnson stars in the lead as an enviable career woman descending into psychological turmoil while she attempts to grow her business to new heights.
Johnson’s appearance has undeniably shaped the kinds of roles Nollywood tends to cast her in, often boxing her into characters that prioritise allure over interiority. From her breakout role in Man of God (2022) to her earlier collaborations with Kasum in Áfàméfùnà (2023), What About Us? (2024), and Reel Love (2025), her most notable characters are characters whose desirability and aspirational aura are foregrounded—typically the passive half of a romantic couple, with a wealthier background.
Fractured plays into that pattern. This time, however, Johnson has the benefit of a lead role as a more active persona, a character premise that is inherently more demanding than in her previous films, and a genre that has complexity as a core characteristic. It is truly a loss that despite the opportunities for her character, Fractured, written by Dare Olaitan (who also worked with Kasum on Dwindle (2021); Ajosepo (2024); and The Good Gift), gives her too little substance to work with.
Johnson’s character, Tosin Aigo, has inherited a flourishing company that is set to go public. But when the company needs her at her optimum, she is attacked in a home invasion that leaves her suffering from distressing hallucinations and memory gaps, rendering her dysfunctional. At home, her husband (Uzor Arukwe) arranges for a therapist (Shaffy Bello). At work, her mental state becomes ammunition for a jealous colleague (Daniel Etim-Effiong) who believes he deserves her job.
Fractured gets off to a decent start, but rather than anchor its internal and external conflicts in the already established premise, the over-written screenplay takes an unnecessary detour that has Tosin physically rummaging through her past in a meandering second act that gives the film and its lead character more physicality than they need and less space to actually confront the psychological warfare that the film intends to wage.
To put it simply, Fractured focuses on the inconsequential and leaves the potentially interesting subplots untapped. The work-centred subplot, pitched early as a major point of conflict, is too easily forgotten. There is an underexplored investigation angle involving a police investigator (Tope Tedela) offering ominous but vague warnings that even a completely sane person would have trouble deciphering. And the character motivations that ultimately matter the most get lost in the film’s elaborate wild goose chase and its forced attempt at unpredictability, which still ends up mostly unsuccessful.
A couple of third-act scenes, including a provocative but unnecessary scene involving a lizard, are supposed to introduce an occult angle, but are merely thrown in like an afterthought. Intertwining the supernatural with the psychological could have been an interesting approach, a uniquely Nollywood take on the psychological thriller genre. But that botched attempt is a stark reminder of Nollywood’s lack of understanding of its chosen genres and how to adapt those genres for its local audience.
Except for a few narrative choices flowing from the premise and a handful of interesting technical flourishes—notable mentions include a pretty motel corridor shot and an intriguing and nicely edited hypnosis sequence—most of Fractured is a tedious stretch of dreary events that are only mildly bearable because the star of the show is easy to watch.
Throughout Fractured, Johnson fights to make something out of a character who is too distracted by plot points that are ultimately unimportant. Though there is some inconsistency in her performance, she makes clear efforts at leaving an impression, and there are hints that Johnson can be more if given stronger material.
Rating: 2/5
* Fractured premiered at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) 2025.
Vivian Nneka Nwajiaku is a writer, film critic, TV lover, and occasional storyteller writing from Lagos. She has a master’s degree in law but spends most of her time watching, reading about and discussing films and TV shows. She’s particularly concerned about what art has to say about society’s relationship with women. Connect with her on X @Nneka_Viv