‘Lies Among Us’: Adetunji explores love, ambition, betrayal in new film

Nigerian filmmaker Opeoluwa Oluwaseyi Adetunji is exploring how personal choices, career ambitions and societal expectations can strain relationships in his upcoming drama-comedy, Lies Among Us.
The director and co-producer said the film examines the pressures young Nigerians, particularly women, face over success, relationships and marriage, and how these expectations can create rivalry and misunderstandings among people who care about one another.
In an interview with The Nollywood Reporter, Adetunji described the production as a story about friendship, family expectations, romantic desires and the consequences of placing personal interests above the needs of others.
He said he was interested in how the fear of being left behind could influence people's decisions and damage relationships.
The filmmaker also challenged the tendency to portray love, marriage and success as competitions, arguing that relationships require people to balance personal ambitions with consideration for others.
Adetunji said his approach to storytelling was rooted in real-life experiences, with a preference for narratives that allow viewers to interpret events through their own perspectives rather than offering predictable conclusions.
For Lies Among Us, he said he deliberately left room for audiences to reflect on the characters' decisions and imagine what might happen after the final scene.
The filmmaker, whose previous works include Fury (2025) and Twist of Fate (2025), said relatability remained central to his creative process. He seeks to tell stories that audiences can connect with regardless of their age or background.
He also described casting as a crucial part of the production, noting that actors needed to convey their characters' emotions through facial expressions, body language and silence, rather than dialogue alone.
According to him, the film's emotional depth depended on performances that would make viewers understand the characters' internal struggles, including moments when their feelings conflicted with their words.
Beyond entertainment, Adetunji said he regarded filmmaking as a means of documenting human experiences and encouraging empathy by exposing audiences to perspectives different from their own.
He added that each project helped him develop his understanding of people, collaboration and leadership while refining his voice as a filmmaker.