Have You Watched Baby Farm? || Did You Enjoy it?

4 days ago (Edited)

When I told my friends I just watched baby farm last night, safe to say I was attacked. 😂 "Do you live under a rock?" "Why are you just watching it?" And all sort of other commentaries.

What can I say? I don't like watching a movie or series when the hype is still high and afloat. Too many buzz kills the excitement. There are only a few movies I've ever been so excited about that I watched immediately they were released: Alchemy of souls (which is a Kdrama), Bridgerton (an English series) and Too Hot To Handle (a reality TV show).

But others? Well, I can't say if it's just my busy schedule and my desire to NOT follow the crowd, lol. I watched it at my own timing and it was fun because this means, I can have a solid perspective and opinion about it without looking at the movie from the lens of online fans or haters, just my lens.

So, join me, let's look at Baby Farm together through my lens.

The Storyline

The 5-episode series follows through the story of a pregnant young girl, Adanna, who left home in Abia State to Lagos in search of the man that impregnated her (her boyfriend). She got to Lagos and was met with the harsh reality that "Lagos is not friendly".

Ending up on the streets with nothing to eat and nowhere to stay, she got assisted by a good samaritan (or so she thought) who took her to an NGO-Dr Evans Foundation, a clinic that takes pregnant young ladies off the streets in exchange for giving up their baby for adoption after birth. They tell them it's a chance for the baby to have a better life, after which they then sell the babies to rich, childless women under the guise of a proper adoption.

The story continues through a mix of Adanna discovering she's having twins, growing a motherly bond to her babies and uncovering the sinister act behind the sparkling curtains of Dr. Evans Foundation.

What I Loved and Hated

First of all, it was an intriguing watch but that's about it. The only two things I found spectacular were:

(1) some really frustrating characters got what they deserve. Like that blogger, she infuriated me to no ends. Her concern were so peripheral, she just wanted to spread gossip regardless of who gets hurt, she was targeting the wrong person just because of the buzz it'll give her. Well, she got what she wanted, the buzz came from her and through her.

(2) I like their attempt at creating a suspense. They were able to successfully create an intrigue around the questions, "who was helping Adanna?" "Is Ebun really to be trusted?". However, the explanation to some of the questions were beyond disappointing.

For one, the series was moving too fast, especially the first episode. I get that they wanted a background, a skeleton that'll act as the framework while the real plot builds up, but I'm certain there are other ways to go about it than putting a whole 9 months in the first 10 minutes.

Another thing I absolutely did not like are the deaths. I get that they needed them to intensify the tension, but there were just some deaths that were avoidable.

And lastly, the whole mentality behind Ebun acting like a brainwashed girl leaves a huge hole in the storyline. I'd expected it to be explained, maybe they put her through some brainwashing therapy, but the explanation they gave was "she was broken?", Common. That could have gone better.

The Influence it has on me

As a very emotional person that cries to every heartbreaking scenes in movies, Baby Farm tugged at my heart strings but not enough to break my heart. The actors were amazing, trust me. It's just the series progression I have a problem with.

The major influence it had on me was me wondering, hoping and praying that these things do not exist in real life. But I know they do, I've seen documentaries where they discover underground houses where they breed young girls for baby tr*fficking. To see it being portrayed on scene shows a glimpse of what these women go through, it's really really really sad but enlightening.

Most Interesting Part
The most interesting part for me was when they'd tried to escape. I'd merely thought Itunu to be clumsy, never knew she was in fact, a snake. Although, her reason for being a snake remains unjustified, there was no gain in it for her . It would have been predictable but made more sense if Aishat was the snake. Or even Eniye. But Itunu? Made no sense, but was interesting to discover nonetheless.

Standout Performances

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Oh, I give it up for the female lead, Adanna played by Onyinye Odokoro. One thing that really intrigued me about her performance were her facial expressions. Right from the first scene where she told her boyfriend she's pregnant, I actually watched that very scene like three times. Mainly because I was eating and wanted to focus but also because her facial expression intrigued me. She acts with her voice, face, body language, everything. She's a true actor.

Obviously, Ebun acted by Genoveva Umeh has always been an amazing actor. And once again, she delivered an outstanding performance. I'd always thought her to enjoy more of witty and sharp-tongued roles, but this one proved me wrong. She's a versatile actor.

The two English actors, Dr Evans and Sister Barbara played by
Langley Kirkwood and Jenny Stead respectively, were the backbone. They are exceptionally good. Dr Evans painted a good picture of this despicable, greedy and cruel misogynist. While Sister Barbara interpreted the role of a woman still clinging unto her humanity despite loving the good things of life. I imagine there is more to her story if only it'd been told. A story that'll explain why she's passionate about giving childless woman an opportunity at having a baby.

My Rating

I'll rate this series a 5/10. Believe me, it's a great watch, it just doesn't stand out to me that much. Have you watched it? What are your thought on the series?

@fashtioluwa Thank you for granting me the permission to use your writing template. 😅 Really made things easier.

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