"Dolapo Is Fine' is a film short that shows the natural beauty of young women and the brightness of young people to accept who they are rather than succumb to who the world tells them they have to be.

This film centers on Dolapo, a young African teen who wants to work in finance. We find that Dolapo has experienced a 'leg up' as she is in a posh boarding school, has a best friend she hangs with, and gets an opportunity to meet with a woman she admired to help mentor her in her finance career goals.

She meets with her 'hero' Daisy (who we can determine right off the bat that the adage of "never meet your heroes" fits). Daisy begins by telling her she needs to 'assimilate first' to be taken seriously 'downtown,' and that should start with changing Dolapo's name and hairstyle. Why? Because that is what she did.

This film's beauty is in watching this young lady stumble a bit but decide on what works for her instead of being told what does. What worked for Daisy may not work for Dolapo, but this is what Dolapo has to discover. And the vile and bitterness of the mentors, thank goodness, did not work for her.

While the main character is a young African girl with natural hair Afro asked to assimilate (straighten her hair and come up with a more palatable sounding nick-name) to gain acceptance into the career of finance she seeks, it is a universal occurrence. One can easily replace her with ANY young woman from any Country.

"Assimilation first" just happened to be one of those things a lousy mentor will harp on. So what does one do when they are first starting? Who to listen to? When faced with it, it is up to young people to decide - be yourself or "assimilate". What works for you? If it worked for them, can you be sure it works for you? If one chooses assimilation, does it make you fade into the crowd, lose your identity, or do you wish to stand out in the group - or do you want just to be you and show them what you can do to help them grow.

You'll find that in this film short, this young person, Dolapo, is fine. And that is a refreshing side to show as it lets you know you are fine too.

Wonderful short, well cast and well acted. I could have watched a full length movie with these characters.

Greetings again from the darkness. How much of one's self should be sacrificed or compromised to chase dreams? Dolapo is a Nigerian native attending a posh boarding school in the UK. She wants to pursue a "good" position in Finance at a top-notch firm in the city. Since she knows little of that world, she meets with a mentor for guidance.

Daisy (Joan Iyiola, also the film's co-writer) is a hardcore mentor. She advises Dolapo (Doyin Ajiboye) to change her afro hairstyle, improve her clothes, rehearse better interview answers, and even change her name. Daisy calls this "assimilation" and positions these changes as matter-of-fact necessities. Dolapo is frustrated, yet puts forth the effort.

Director Ethosheeia Hylton and co-writers Joan Iyiola and Chibundu Onuzo serve up a 15 minute short film that touches on stereotypes and identity, as well as 'no-harm-meant' racism by even the closest of friends. How do we hold on to who we are at a time when the world is telling us we need to "fit in"? The film is well made and Ms. Ajiboye delivers a nice performance in this film sure to spur conversation and debate.