Somto BisinaIn the past few years, Netflix has made major investments in Nigeria’s Nollywood film and TV sector. From the blockbuster ‘Blood Sisters’ to the amazing squeal of Kemi Adetiba’s ‘King Of Boys, it is evident that the marriage between Nollywood and Netflix births amazing Films. (Netflix’s ‘Far From Home)
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Its most recent series, “Far From Home”, is a young adult drama set at a prestigious private school in the nation. Yes, that appears to be an over-flogged theme these days, but will the show genuinely explore topics related to class disparities in the nation, or will it be another cliché soap opera? Read on to find out.
General Overview
As someone who loves “Elite” and “Euphoria”, this show piqued my interest, and the thriller got me excited. “Far From Home” stars Ishaya Bello (Mike Afolarin), a poor art genius who won a chance to work with one of the hotshots of the art world, Essien. But he doesn’t have the money to travel to London. So he tries all sorts of trickery to fund his upcoming travels. This includes cheating in the scholarship exam of the prestigious Wilmer Academy, faking his school report card, and robbing a mob boss.
Netflix’s ‘Far From Home!
With just 5 episodes, “Far From Home” keeps the pace brisk and the plot always moving, keeping me at the edge of my seat from start to finish. At first watch, the average Nigerian may wonder why the students (Cast) were behaving like they were, but upon realizing that they were in an institution similar to A levels, I.e an academy between Secondary school and University, with an age range of 17 to 21, one would understand the seeming laxity in the discipline.
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LIKES
Damilola Elebe,Nk’iru Njoku and Jola Ayeye some of the scriptwriters, deserve to have their names written in gold because they effectively captured the true essence of the common saying “ born with a silver spoon” and how the Rich gets upset when someone from the “trenches” is thrown among them. A great script is of no value without amazing characters to bring that script to life, so a round of applause to the casting director. While some characters were a bit underwhelming, almost all the characters were well chosen.
Another thing I found very refreshing was the introduction of fairly new faces to the screen, and how well these new actors were paired with old Nollywood actors, without the old actors overshadowing the new ones. It was a treat to see Bimbo Akintola in the role she played, also her onscreen chemistry with RMD was a delight to watch.
Overall, all the actors left everything on the screen, but I was particularly interested in the actor that played Reggie, Natse Jemide. I look forward to seeing him in more productions. The story of Adufe, scored a major point for me, how she moved from a timid girl to someone who took down a crime lord, was very interesting to watch. Finally, I really really, loved the various location settings, they truly portrayed the roles and affluence or otherwise of the characters.
DISLIKES
If you can’t already tell, I genuinely enjoyed every minute spent watching this film, however, they were some gaps in the series.
This five-part show tried to establish elements of drama, thriller and a bit of comedy, into one single unit and fails desperately in the attempt. An example is when Ishaya, hides the cheating note from his employer, that part felt like a basic attempt at undermining the intellect of the audience.
The plot further complicates itself when Ishaya starts doing business with the college brats and ends up getting high on the same drugs. The entire plot seemed artificial and is a bit too difficult to comprehend.
Not to discredit the writers or director, but the conflict resolution was too abrupt for me. Four and a half episodes were used to build up the background and tension, and then everything is resolved in half an episode. As a viewer, I think that the resolution could have been handled differently.
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Overall, “Far From Home” would keep you hooked and on the edge of your seat, with every episode ending on a cliffhanger. The ending however suggests there might be another season, I just hope the show does not fall under the sophomore curse. It is definitely a hit, and if you’re yet to see it, I strongly recommend it.
Netflix’s ‘Far From Home!
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