MOVIE REVIEW: Far From Home: Great storyline that hits close to home

Movie Title: Far From Home

Running Time: 40 minutes per episode

Release Date: 16th December 2022.

Producer: Isioma Osage

Cast: Mike Afolarin, Funke Akindele, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Bolanle Ninalowo, Genoveva Umeh, Bimbo Akintola, Linda Ejiofor, Chioma Akpotha, Femi Branch, Carol King and Ufuoma Mcdermott.

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Since the release of the South African series’ Blood and Water’, it’s no secret that our fingers have been crossed. We hoped a production company in Nigeria would hire a writer and pitch our very own young adult series to Netflix or other streaming platforms.

Fortunately, our prayers were answered when Inkblot, in partnership with Netflix, released a teaser followed by a trailer of ‘Far From Home’, Nigeria’s first Netflix original young adult series.

We live in a world where many Nigerian viewers have been exposed to a few Hollywood young adult series such as ‘Riverdale’, ‘Never have I Ever’ and many Korean high school dramas.

So, people had certain expectations for “Far from home.” And it’s pretty safe to say the five-part series met most of them.

Whether it was excellent casting choices, intriguing plot lines, great moral lessons, or beautiful locations, ‘Far from Home’ won the hearts of Tv critics and thousands of Nigerians and, most importantly, secured a spot on Netflix’s Global top 10.

The Plot

Episode one introduces us to Ishaya Bello (Mike Afolarin), an ambitious artist who desperately wants to make it despite the obstacle of being part of a low-income family.

An opportunity comes knocking when he is selected to be part of an art program organised by a renowned artist, Essien. Unfortunately, he must pay over a hundred thousand naira to be accepted into the programme.

Meanwhile, Ishaya has been encouraging his sister to pursue her dream of getting a scholarship at Willer academy. Upon noticing his sisters’ disinterest and receiving the shocking revelation that the scholarship comes with a cash prize of $10,000, he decides to apply.

With the help of examination answers illegally obtained, he got into the school and realised that after expenses incurred, he was left with N5,000. Before entering the school, Ishaya had stolen the money used for the scholarship exam from his boss/drug lord, the Government.

Barely weeks after, Government and his partner, Rambo, visit Ishaya, threatening to kill him and his family. To protect his sister, he proposes to be a drug dealer at Wilmer academy.

On his first day, he meets Carmen, the founder’s granddaughter, and starts developing feelings for her. He also meets Vima and Frank, who soon become his best friends.

Things are going pretty great as Ishaya is thriving in the drug business. Trouble once again looms when Ishaya’s ex-girlfriend reaches out, informing him about her run-in with Rambo.

Since she owes Rambo a lot of money, she orchestrates a plan with Ishaya to kidnap Frank. After the successful kidnapping, Rambo proposes that they do it again, except this time with Carmen.

Ishaya refuses and turns to the school authorities to help him out of the mess. The government is apprehended, but Rambo escapes.

When it seems like the dust is settling, Rambo returns and unleashes an unexpected rage on Ishaya and his friends. His plans halt when the students defend themselves, and Adufe later betrays him.

At last, we see Ishaya pursue his dream. However, the survival of Rambo and the Government leaves room for a twisted season two.

The Good

There is strong character development in this series. We see growth in each character throughout the show. First is Ishaya, who started as selfish and ambitious but developed into a guy who becomes accountable for his mistakes. Also, Adufe stands out from a lady who struggles to find her footing to a strong independent woman.

The cinematography is also great. The locations, especially Wilmer academy, represent the luxury sold to us in the plotline. Another excellent feature is the lighting; every scene receives the adequate light it needs to become more realistic.

Kudos to the casting director who ensured we saw a positive representation of the future of Nollywood. Despite their age and experience, the actors made their characters relatable, and we couldn’t help but root for them.

The nuanced storyline is pretty great. The concept of portraying what it’s like to be a dreamer chaser from a low class is intriguing. And the fact that the story progression wasn’t straight but had twists and turns is quite a catch.

The Bad

Far from home lacked a sense of suspense. While there were some parts of the series that kept us on the edge of our seats, most scenes felt relaxed for a series that has such high stakes.

The issue of some characters being underdeveloped is another negative feature. A good example would be General, the guy who Ishaya stole the answers from. More could have been done in building this character. With just a few lines and more actions, he quickly could have become a potential villain that would win viewers’ hearts.

Honestly, in general, more could have been done with the entire story. The writers could have pushed further and included solid and mysterious elements in the story.

Last but not least, we need to talk about the costumes. While the uniforms are good, the other clothes are not so good. For a series that seems to portray the lives of young rich people, I swear I could see some of them wear clothes that could easily be found at Yaba market.

Final Verdict

8/10. Watch it. It’s a promising series that excited us about the young talents ready to take over Nollywood.

Far from home is now streaming on Netflix.