Ijogbon Review: Shiny Blessings Make for a Cursed Nightmare in a Familiar Life Lesson That Comes Full Circle

Ijogbon Review: Starring Kids’ Choice nominee Fawaz Aina, alongside Ebiesuwa Oluwaseyi, Ruby Akubueze, Kayode Ojuolape Jnr, Yemi Sodimu, Yemi Solade and others, Ijogbon is a Nollywood film made in the Yoruba language. Its title translates to ‘Chaos’ in English, and the fitting name encapsulates the action and counter-action captured through the lens of director Kunle Afolayan.

Having been written by Tunde Babalola and Kunle Afolayan, the African teen drama movie has a runtime of 115 minutes and it released on Netflix on October 13, 2023. It’s now also streaming with English subtitles and dubbed audio for international audiences.

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Ijogbon Movie Review Contains No Spoilers

Ijogbon Review

Four teenagers from a rural village in South–West Nigeria come across a bag full of uncut diamonds. It doesn’t take long before people come looking for them. However, the premise isn’t as straightforward as the official Ijogbon Netflix log-line claims it to be. These four kids are cognisant of the threshold they’ve hit in terms of progress in their small village, so the thoughts of wanting to make it big in life keep surrounding them as much as they start believing in the distant dream of taking off from their meagre life conditions.

In addition to the present-day scenario woven into the storyline, the plot also initially introduces us to an old folk story of the by-gone days narrated by the older adults of the village to the young children to teach them the moral behind it. Keeping it brief, this story presents an all too-familiar vision of brothers being pushed to the edge by their envious selfish characters that they’re even willing to pull the trigger on their own siblings in exchange of materialistic gain.

Ijogbon weaves a circular plot that later comes back to the same story foretold as a word of caution by the village elders. In that way, the movie follows a rhythmic narrative that is eventually clouded by the delusional sense of happiness that can be exacted by the four kids in question, using their newly found treasure.

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Throughout the harsh course, the visuals of each of these characters’ hardened lives are supported by the barren and arid hideouts they cling to. Their village’s topography is equally scorched, helping us sympathise with the children’s desire of wanting to break free from it. However, not a lot of time is spent for building this argument up because the movie directs its attention to the dramatic and fast-paced crossfires, misunderstandings and betrayals that come in the way, all because of the sudden surfacing of these diamonds in the village.

Movies like this are often constructed as comedies so that when all parties violently convene at the end for the desired profit in mind, it all boils down to a comically chaotic situation that leads to an even bigger disaster before it all can all be resolved for good. However, no such comedy finds the action, rather a more serious drama unfolds that actually makes us worried for the children involved.

Linking historical truths stitched into our socio-cultural fabric of life, the film reminds us of the universality of human nature and how the majority of us would respond to a sudden change like this in our lives. Ultimately, the coming-of-age film deals with quite a few issues by incorporating the youngsters’ families into the chaotic ride as well, and probably the best lesson it leaves behind is that our actions have consequences. And sometimes these consequences can turn deadly for us once it’s too late.

Ijogbon Chaos Netflix Movie : Final Thoughts

Even though I’ve previously mentioned that the film doesn’t use comedy as its main means of attraction to keep the audience entertained, it still figures into the plot one way or another, but with a more serious outlook than what we’re used to seeing. The film is fast-paced enough for us to watch it quickly in a single sitting, while simultaneously keeping us vastly intrigued about the next step in the story and what’s in store for each of these characters in the end. Coming back to the same picture of back-stabbing betrayals introduced at the beginning of the movie, the message is crystal clear.

Ijogbon is now streaming on Netflix.

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