Area Boy (2023)

-Written by John Cajio. 

Area Boy is a film that does not suck. Written and directed by Iggy London, the short film tells the story of a teenage boy, Eli (Joshua Cameron), as he struggles with a choice between a variety of paths that will forever alter the course of his life. 

Eli and his mother, Marlene (Jolade Obasala), move to a new town. Upon arrival, they are given a gift basket and an invitation to attend the local church. Later that night, Eli goes to a seedier part of town and meets up with some of the local ne’er-do-wells led by Kevin (Malcolm Kamulete). With Kevin and his group, Eli doesn’t quite fit in: he smokes but does not drink, and when he is caught eyeing a pretty, young girl at a party, he is forced to dance with her. She takes it in stride, but the discomfort is plain with Eli. When he attends church, it’s clear that he has reservations there, too. At the end of the film, Eli approaches the pool for his baptism. That baptism represents a point of no return for Eli. What does he choose?

London writes and directs a strong and compelling narrative in Area Boy. Eli’s identity crisis comes across loud and clear thanks to good writing that is cemented by an excellent performance from Cameron. Composer Rob Lewis’ music further underscores the tension as Eli wrestles with questions about who he is, who others expect him to be, and what he wants to be. 

The choices made in framing and composing scenes, and the editing, show a series of conscious decisions by London, Director of Photography Christian Huck, and Editor Mark Keady to highlight the struggles Eli faces throughout the film's nineteen minute runtime. For example, during a sequence at church, the nameless priest (Mensah Bediako) is giving a fiery sermon about how everyone is a sinner. The camera cuts between low angles of the priest, making him seem larger-than-life as his words rain down upon the parishioners in a torrent of religious righteousness, and high angles of Eli, making him seem small and insignificant against the onslaught of the priest’s tongue-lashing. 

In short, I found Area Boy to be a compelling examination of the questions that many teenagers struggle to answer, and the next batch of questions that inevitably arise upon answering those questions, while being left to wonder how these new questions will be answered. 

Written & Directed by Iggy London.

Starring Joshua Cameron, Malcolm Kamulete, Jolade Obasala, Mensah Bediako, etc. 

8/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING