Fati’s Choice captures the erroneous, yet popular, narrative that a worst life experience in Europe is better by far than the moderate life of a striver in Africa, underscoring the growing quest for migration overseas by whatever means among Africans. In essence, Hamid Yabuk, the producer, spotlights how migration abroad has become a status symbol among many Africans. The prologue of the movie is a glimpse into what lies ahead with the ambience condemning the course of action taken by the dramatis personae: “Fati, we have always been dreaming of going to Europe, yet you had the chance and wasted it,” a neighbor remarks.

The introductory part of the 42-minute movie depicts an indigenous African setting with an ambience of the chirping of birds in a coastal area of Ghana. The cacophony of talking heads negates the choice of the protagonist: “No matter how deplorable your situation was in Europe; you could have endured till you are made,” states one of her neighbors, amplifying the sentiment. In a deliberate attempt to externalize the inner thoughts of the main character—Fati. The director employs voice-over narration of internal monologue repeatedly, allowing the audience to come to terms with her struggle and conflict, even in moments of silence. Not only that, the director uses close-up shots, with moderate pacing and transitions to emphasize the setting, while the absence of background music is deliberate—to allow the audience to focus on the monologue of the main character. Furthermore, flashbacks with younger pictures of Fati reveal hidden information that amplifies the position of Fati’s neighbors on why she should have stayed back in Europe. The use of dim lighting-shots also reflects the character’s emotional isolation in the struggle of life, particularly where she weighs the available options towards taking custody of her children.

Just like many other previous documentaries, the movie captures the perilous and crude journey to Europe in local canoes or boats on the high sea, highlighting the notorious Libya–Italy route for such voyages. Accordingly, Fati’s Choice is a reflective movie that chronicles the untold but common story of many from sub-Saharan Africa, who have either perished or remained stranded in the desert. Most importantly, it provides insight into the sacrifice of women in the building of family in Africa, particularly how Fati, against all odds, joined her stranded husband in the desert, in the hope that making it to Europe at all cost will end their economic nightmare.

Hailing from Akyem Oda, but raised in Sekondi, Takwade, Ghana, as the eldest child of her father, she couldn’t complete basic school due to early pregnancy at the tender age of 16. But desirous of giving her children a good life, she had financed her husband’s trip to Europe, only for him to be stuck in Libya. Her life’s experience is a symbol of struggle and futility; she became pregnant for the fifth time in the face of uncertainty.

Apparently relying on the common assumption, Fati notes “I thought Europe is a paradise,” assuming that on getting there, everything would be at her beck and call, and perhaps she would no longer need money for any personal needs. The movie mirrors the utopian image of life in Europe, particularly multiple working opportunities, which is generally considered a goldmine back home. It also spotlights the use of childbirth as a decoy to regularize an illegal immigrant’s stay overseas. Caught up in the unbefitting asylum brouhaha six months after her triumphant entry into Europe, she decides to return home against the run of play, turning her into an object of ridicule. While the societal expectation is of a phony life in Europe, the protagonist and her choice contradict this, making her decision to return home to Ghana a bizarre sort of choice among relatives, family members, and even her husband.

Her decision was strange. “You have created a mess,” was the chorus by a friend, while her sister wonders how to carry the scars of her sacrilegious decision. Regardless, Fati holds on to her choice as she struggles to provide for her children, while devising unconventional means to liberate three of her children from the custody of her in-laws. Fati remains umbilically connected with her children, until she has all of them under her care, underscoring the sacrifice of a mother: “I feel my life is stable, my priority is to give my children a good upbringing. My relationship with them should be based on truth.” Thus, highlighting the strength of choice to its maker.