India, Feb. 2 -- Lady, the directorial debut from Olive Nwosu, marks the arrival of a strong new voice. On the surface, it is a vibrant character study of a female taxi driver in the Nigerian capital, Lagos. People call her Lady, and she is played by Jessica Gabriel's Ujah, an actor whose eyes can hold the frame from a mile away. But as the film unfolds in its chaotic, unbridled energy, it becomes a portrait of governmental failure, rampant corruption, and the price one pays to run away. (Also read: In Barbara Forever, a pioneer of queer cinema gets a moving and incandescent tribute | Sundance Film Festival review)

Lady is the only female taxi driver in Lagos. She knows how this is uncanny and therefore works hard to protect her own peac...