All Na Vibes (2021) is a Nigerian teen crime film released on Netflix on 27th January globally. It is directed by Taiwo Egunjobi and the screenplay is written by Isaac Ayodeji. Produced by Sable Media and Emiola Fagbenle is credited as the producer. The story will follow three teenagers who get mired in a tragic situation, fueled by crime.
The cast of the film includes Tega Ethan as Abiola, Tolu Osaile as Sade, Molawa Davis as Lamidi, Babatunde Aderinoye as Silencer, Jide Kosoko as Olasupo, Tope Tedela as Officer Jack. The title of the film comes from the common slang words used by young people like ‘Just vibes’ or ‘pure vibes’ and will have a runtime of about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Netflix’s description of the film reads:
A party takes a dark turn for three teens who are forced to question their futures — and friendships — when a politician’s daughter goes missing.
-All Na Vibes Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers-
Set in present-day Ibadan, against the backdrop of a crippling university strike and an undercurrent of political unrest, three out-of-school teenagers- Abiola, Lamidi and Sade grapple with varied existential crises on what’s next with their lives. Lamidi’s impulsive desire to plan a house party to lighten the mood forces the three together. Sade goes missing after the party and the involvement of Sade’s father, a local party chieftain, and the aggressive police force reveals a dark side to Lamidi and tests the friendship and trust the boys share.
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The film starts with a monologue about the youth of the country and how they may be young but not stupid; also, how various situations in their lives can take away their dreams but they shouldn’t be pushed to a place where their lives are taken away as well. The story unfolds in chapters, the first chapter is until the party actually happens and the second chapter starts from the day Sade goes missing.
Our main three leads our Abiola, Lamidi and Sade. Abiola wants to be a musician but his parents want him to have a stable career and push him to code. His friend Lamidi always has mischief on his mind and since their schools are closed off due to some strikes (which are not certain to get resolved anytime soon), he wants to get away from this nothingness/negative environment and have a party.
To have a good time at the party Lamidi sources out a local criminal to get some drugs and gets familiar with them. On the other hand, Sade is involved in an affair with a man she isn’t supposed, while Abiola is trying to pursue her. But everything shatters when Sade goes missing without any trace – leaving the two friends as suspects and searching for her.
All of this is set against the background of political unrest where the elections are about to happen, strikes, murders and crime is on the rise. Yet the normal teens wanting to have a normal teenage experience go extremely awry due to wrong decisions and social factors that they can’t control.
Themes like corruption and youth delinquency have been talked about with a dark satirical undertone. The aspirations of our leads are just like any other teenager but the social situation around them not only influences but also puts them into dangerous situations, from which they can not escape easily, even if they grow up. But who should be blamed for the tragedies, the straying youth or corruption or the system that doesn’t protect the people it’s made for?
Final Thoughts: All Na Vibes
Overall, the film is a quick watch with a subpar story. Having watched the recent Nollywood releases on Netflix, I believe this has been one of the decent watches. The elements of realism, showing the ground reality of many, work in the favour as opposed to the ultra glamourous and slapstick route that many films take. What they lack is the development of the ideas that are infused in the film. Especially the ending, which goes past through you with so much happening.
All Na Vibes is currently streaming on Netflix.
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