Yinka Olatunbosun
The 26-episode horror series titled ‘The Mystic River’ hits Netflix today. Shot in Ijebu Ode, the series tells a gut-wrenching story of a young couple who newly relocated to remote village. Unknown to them, the village has an abominable cultural practice of sacrificing pregnant women to the gods for prosperity. The intrigue of intuition, discovery and helplessness constitute the conflict of this dramatic adventure on screen.
At the press screening of the series, held last weekend at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos, the producer, Roger Ofime described the series as a story of good and evil.
“I want to be able to tell African stories. I want to be able to tell stories that have some impact, that will provoke people to think, to do something, to change something. That’s the niche I’m trying to carve for myself,’’ he said.
Although the setting of the drama is traditional, most of the issues raised in the series have contemporary relevance. The Canadian-based producer has consistently positioned himself as a socially committed film maker whose cinematography is in itself a visual catalyst for societal change. The story in this edge-of-the-seat horror is a metaphor on the Nigerian state and how its under-development shares the semblance of a people making barbarism a way of life. ‘The Mystic River’ is also a visual commentary on the poor state of Nigeria’s public health sector.
“There are some things we don’t like in our country today and we can stand up and do something about it just like the doctor stood up to fight tradition. We don’t have to leave everything to the government. I believe that standing up, saying something or making a change will go a long way,’’ he said.
Starring leading actors such as Jide Kosoko, Dele Odule, Joke Muyiwa, each episode is wrapped in suspense.
