Shanty Town On Netflix, a 6-episode Naija series. It circles around a town controlled by a kingpin, where women have no rights to their bodies, no say, decisions are made without them, and are constantly traded for sex and violence.
For a series like this, you’ll expect the first episode to catch your attention but it doesn’t really, patience there little tiger it gets better. As the series goes on, stories and characters unfold. Our favorite thing about this series aside from the storyline is the diversity, the pidgin, and the amazing acting. We get to hear some languages from minority groups in Nigeria, representation really matters. Seeing Ini and Nse share conversations in Ibibio was really such a delight.
In the Zanga, Chidi Mokeme acts as Scar a King on his throne, even more, dangerous than Government from Far From Home. The sight of his face and his scars breeds fear. You’ll think he answers to no one but there’s a boss higher up the chain that sponsors the prostitution ring and human trafficking and that’s for you to find out. It’s a political fight for power and the weaker ones, suffer the most. Chidi Mokeme reminds us why he’s a GOAT in the Nigerian movie scene, a veteran in his own right, his exceptional acting is one set to receive a standing ovation from viewers.
We can safely say Chidi carried this series on his back with this role and he absolutely bodied it. One scene that particularly stood out was the scene with Nancy Isime where he calculated her debt into fifteen million, we can rewatch this a million times, we were that stunned.
New Jerusalem might have paved a way for our crime thrillers, ghetto-jungle-cartel stories and with original stories such as this, truly Nollywood might be in safe hands.
Worlds Apart might have been what broke Ini Edo into Nollywood but it’s safe to say ”Shanty Town” has left a footprint of hers in Nollywood’s walk of fame. We truly haven’t seen Ini Edo take such charge in such a role, maybe it’s the story or what its stands for. But for her acting skills, we can only say it gets better and better and her facial control of emotions really got us and the cast as well.
We also get to see a lot of artworks in Shanty World, elements of Hollywood FBI investigation team on the field with the whole van scene with Ini and Uche Jombo ( we were like -” Ariana what are you doing here,lol’), and the fighting scenes were worthy of notes. But really though, we know Mercy Eke can pass for a real-life Barbie but was what that plastic barbie in the murder scene? lol. Our favorite costume was that of Sola Sobowole, the jacquard prints she had on are to die for.
Mercy Eke gets to play a very short but pivotal role as Jackie, a courtesan who just gained freedom from Shanty Town, her journey to freedom was heart wrecking. And if this is the reality for girls being trafficked it is so inhumane. This is no spoiler.
Peter Okoye from PSquare reminds us he’s a double agent as a singer and actor. From lyrics to lines in each scene, Peter is truly a lover boy to its core. And Nancy Isime was at the receiving end of all this love, not us. We’re talking kisses, dancing, flirting across the bar, and car sex. Again not a spoiler but run to Naija on Netflix.
The casting in this series is apt, from Sola Sobowole, RMD, Zubby Michael, Shaffy Bello, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Ini Edo to Uche Jumbo. The casting directors should be so proud because this cast shared so much chemistry with each other.
Generally, they were loopholes for continuous questions in the mind of its viewers and some events that were rather unrealistic. But this is not a review. The end of the series and its epilogue however leaves a lot of questions and a floor opening for a second season.
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