Ajegunle, where I stay, and Isale Eko, where Ishaya, the lead of Far From Home, stays, shares proximity. The proximity isn’t geographical, even if it’s a trekkable distance for traders who trudge from Ajegunle to Isale Eko’s pathway in search of comfort. The intimacy and proximity Ajegunle and Isale Eko share is their store of violence and the supposed pleasure the custodians – the area boys – of these two communities, derive in making the communities beehives of crime. The squalor and misery attached to those parts of Lagos and their inhabitants have enjoyed massive attention in Nollywood stories. When I saw Far From Home’s thriller, I knew the series boycotted the stereotypical gaze of Nollywood filmmakers. As a resident of Ajegunle, I assumed Far From Home will share fragments of my personal story or stories I can intimately relate with.
Far From Home is written around Ishaya Bello (Michael Afolarin). A talented artist from Isale Eko trying to distance himself from the poverty that surrounds his family history and struggles for success. Having been picked for the Essien’s (Deyemi Okanlawon) arts fellowship in London, Ishaya’s pursuit of his dream ignites. However, the wings of his dreams get hung because he can’t afford what it takes to fly out of the country. For that, he triples his struggle; helping Patricia, his mother,(Funke Akindele) in her cleaning job, working as a bartender, and selling artwork to less enthusiastic customers in the streets of Lagos. Yet, they are not enough. He needs to chart a new pathway to make money.
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When I was having a casual conversation with my classmate, his countenance changed when I told him I am from Ajegunle. To attend a state university, with six figures in annual school fees, you must be from a wealthy family, presumably. If you’re close to kids whose family’s name nudges fright and admiration and inspires favours are your coursemates, you’d know you are on the pathway of cutting the bond you have with your poor birth community. As evident in his eyes, my classmate still doubted my neighbourhood. “Like Ajegunle? No, you are too calm to be from Ajegunle,” he said.
Ishaya, with the admiration his presence inspired in Wilmer Academy, an influential school in Lagos, for entering with a full scholarship, meant his classmates were least interested in asking about his neighbourhood. At the beginning of watching Far From Home, I presumed I would see components of a story like this: one kid from the slum pushing to power his “dreams”. A few minutes into the series my expectations were intact. Although, at a point in the movie, it seems unaligned. I had to caution myself that I didn’t produce or write the series. The film’s producer, Chinaza Onuzo, and its screenwriters, headed by Dami Elebe, might have other plans different from mine.
Ishaya’s sister, Rahila (Tomi Ojo) shares Ishaya’s obsession with success. Her dream school is Wilmer Academy. For slum kids obsessed with attending Wilmer Academy, Patricia advises: “Don’t waste your time. Attending that school is a futile dream.”
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Ishaya and Rahila share the same dream, but Rahila lacks the courage to pursue it. “My dream is too expensive,” she says. And Ishaya also has an apt response. ” Shame. Look, I am too busy following my dreams.”
Achieving his dreams comes with drudgery, and Ishaya is familiar with its requirements. His obsession with pursuing his dream has earned him a place in London, but his journey takes a detour and he ends up being a student at Wilmer Academy. Ishaya’s admittance to this exclusive school, through illegal means, propels doom. His original dream get derailed and he became a sales boy for Government (Bucci Franklin) and Oga Rambo’s (Bolanle Ninalowo) drug business, which facilitated tension between him and his family members.
The teenage years and the migrating from adolescence to adulthood are anchored on exploration. Trying to navigate often conflicting emotions, trudging through a toxic environment, and building a personal identity are some of the features of this age. These are some of the components of spotlighted cast members in Far From Home. And these components, familiar with the young-adult genre, are explored in variant degrees.
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Scars are repositories of personal history and identity. Ishaya’s scars were gotten from truancy and stealing. Carmen’s (Elma Mbadiwe) scar bears prove to be youthful and exuberant. Their scars indicate the gulf that existed between them. While there are subtle hints of distrust rich people have for poor kids played out by Feyi Wilmer- Willoughby (Richard Mofe-Damio), the film is less focused on exploring this social divide. A commendable decision, I must say.
The series art department with Karel Flint as the production designer and Yolande Okereke as the costume designer didn’t encompass the monolithic portrayal of thugs in shabby clothes and scars-suffused faces. Government or Ijoba, as Oga Rambo, his long-time partner prefers calling him, is always adorned in well-made suits and his countenance is the only indication of his affinity with violence. Unlike Government, Rambo’s existence is a violence-prone one. His name ” Rambo ” is the first indication of this and his often revealed chest and tattoos are indicators of his ability for chaos.
Far From Home is another indication that the industry has grown beyond its infancy stage of headache-inducing cinematography. Each frame is a beauty on its own. Michael Swan and Adeoluwa Owu (DOP)‘s shots linger on Ishaya’s family and household, but they aren’t discriminatory. The camera isn’t judgemental of Ishaya’s family plight. The cliche cracked wall, unpainted room, leaking roof, and rooms designed as one hit by a tornado are eschewed from the camera’s gaze.
The series has received a warm reception from Nigerians. As expected, it’s topping the charts on Netflix. The possibility of another season abounds. And while this season falls short in developing stories of other characters, season two might do a decent job.
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Producer: Chinaza Onazuo,
Scriptwriter: Dami Elebe.
DOP: Michael Sawn and Adeoluwa Owu.
Character: Genoveva Umeh, Bucci Franklin, Funke Akindele, Bolanle Ninalowo, Mike Afolarin.
Director: Catherine Stewart, Kayode Kasum, and Kenneth Gyang
Rating: 3/ 5.