Hello and welcome back to another weekly Movie and TV Review!

I want to start by thanking all of you who have followed my ramblings thus far. You’ve spent precious time you’ll never get back, and for that, I’m truly grateful.

This week’s film on the chopping block is none other than Disco Boy.

Honestly, I was expecting a queer film based solely on the title and poster. Lol.

But no!

I was quite mistaken.

This piece of creativity hoodwinked me, but not in a good way. Once I learned the true subject matter, it fell even shorter of my expectations.

Disco Boy starts off in a strange manner. A mass of brown bodies lies on top of one another in a tropical setting as the camera slowly creeps forward until we spot a dark figure standing in the corner.

We’re then introduced to Mikhail and Alexei, aka Alex, among a group of men who, I presume, are on their way to a football match—or soccer for the Americans.

Mikhail and Alex ditch the group at a gas station and begin their journey in earnest.

Their goal:

Enter France by any means necessary.

Sadly, Mikhail dies in a boating accident during what appears to be a routine inspection.

Devastated, Alex wanders the streets of France in a daze.

Inevitably, he’s caught by the authorities and interrogated.

They run through a list of questions:

Where are you from?

Do you have any affiliations?

Do you have family who would miss you?

Any physical impairments?

The line of questioning sounds less like immigration processing and more like a military recruiter searching for candidates for a secret French mercenary hit squad.

War and Violence

War and violence are the great equalizers of men, at least among the working class.

The military unit comprises men from all walks of life.

When stripped bare, nobody cares what you are.

Meanwhile, back in the motherland, resources are once again being siphoned off to foreign nations, leaving devastation in their wake.

This time, the offenders are the French.

Fed up, the Niger Delta natives, led by the charismatic Jomo—a free spirit who dances in tandem with his sister—form the group MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta).

Allegedly, the group causes enough disruption that the national government eventually takes notice.

My Problem With MEND

My question is:

What exactly did MEND hope to accomplish?

The Nigerian government’s number one enemy?

I doubt it.

Nigeria’s number one enemy is its own government.

Corruption at the highest levels.

The only thing MEND managed to do was catch small fish.

Violence is a small boy’s game.

If they truly hoped to create lasting change, Jomo should have entered politics.

Sure, they became a blip on the radar, but once Jomo died, the head of the snake was cut off.

Had he gone into politics, we might have had another Lumumba on our hands.

At least history would have remembered him.

Side Note

Is Francesco gay?

Only asking for a friend, of course.

His behavior rubbed me the wrong way.

He constantly ribbed the Indian guy, though thankfully that’s about as far as the harassment went.

His constant handsiness with other men in the locker room—who were scantily clad, might I add—had me side-eyeing him every time he appeared on screen.

And he was so loud.

Always talking.

Final Thoughts

The film felt one-dimensional, and it annoyed me to no end.

Once again, we have another film featuring Africans returning to the spirits of their ancestors, juxtaposed against the modern world.

We don’t all live in huts dancing around fires.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with people living off the land. In fact, I applaud those who can.

But why not feature places like Lagos or Abuja, where people live in air-conditioned homes?

Why not show the other ways Africans combat corruption?

As beautiful and diverse as Africa is, it’s a shame not to show more of it.

It’s 2025, folks.

I give Giacomo Abbruzzese an A for effort, but that’s about it.

He highlights atrocities that occur in Africa, and the world absolutely needs those reminders.

But so what?

Maybe I’m just being too critical.

Anypoops, I give Disco Boy 3 out of 5 rose petals.