Baby Farm Movie Review
Breaking Down Baby Farm on Netflix: Story, Cast & What Missed the Mark
Photo Credit: iverenantiev
Hello again!
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Lets get into it
I watched this limited on an all day flight two weeks ago, it is currently showing on Netflix.
Cast: Onyinye Odokoro, Rita Dominic, Joseph Benjamin, Genoveva Umeh, Langley Kirkwood, Folu Storms, Kiki Omeili, Uzoamaka Onuoha, and Jenny Stead
Directors: Walter “Waltbanger” Taylaur and Kayode Kasum
TL;DR
Baby Farm had a strong premise and a few standout performances, but the story tried to do too much and lost focus in the process. Still, it’s worth watching for the conversation it aims to start because the issue is real.
Rating: 6/10
What is it about?
Baby Farm is a 5-episode limited series that dives into the dark world of baby harvesting syndicates rumored to operate in parts of Nigeria. I was particularly interested in this story because I had watched a real-life documentary on the subject just a few months ago.
The series follows Adanna (played by Onyinye Odokoro), a young woman who becomes pregnant and travels to Lagos in hopes of reuniting with her boyfriend. Things take a dark turn, and she finds herself trapped in a baby farm disguised as a place of solace for women.
Then there’s Ify (Kiki Omeili), who is searching for her missing younger sister, a trail that also leads to the baby farm. In a parallel storyline, Cherise (Rita Dominic), a successful actress who has had multiple miscarriages, becomes desperate to have a child. She’s being stalked by a journalist (Folu Storms) who seems to have a personal vendetta against her.
Eventually, Ify and journalist Joy realize they’re both searching for the same thing: truth. And so, they join forces to investigate.
Storyline
The foundation of the writing is solid and the subject matter alone carries weight. But the series felt like it was trying to tell two stories at once without giving either the proper balance. The parallel plots competed for attention, and unfortunately, many of the characters felt underdeveloped.
There’s definitely a bigger story to be told here about how society traps women on both sides of this issue: those who are exploited and those who are desperate. But this show tried to do too much at once. It introduced shame that follows these women, socioeconomic struggle, domestic violence, gossip… These are all valid themes, but too many elements left the core story stretched thin. A few things to call out:
Ebun (Genoveva Umeh), another victim in the baby farm, got a lot of screen time, but her character felt overdramatized and lacked the necessary backstory to really connect with her.
I also couldn’t fully understand why Joy was so obsessed with Cherise. Maybe the writers had a reason, but it didn’t come through clearly. Ironically, Cherise ended up seeming like a “good” person.
The doctors’ stories were one of the stronger points—they captured how poverty and desperation become opportunities for exploitation. Still, I felt something was missing in how deeply that narrative could have played out
That said, Onyinye Odokoro (Adanna) carried the show with her performance. She owned every scene she was in and made the character feel real. Uzoamaka Onuoha also left a strong impression, there was a believability to her role, even though I had a feeling her from the start.
Direction
The direction had the right intentions. There were moments it worked, like in the hospital; the lighting and tone captured a kind of eerie, cloudy discomfort. But the camera work didn’t always land. There were scenes where the emotion was there, the performance was there, but the camera just didn’t catch it in the way it should have. I told myself multiple times, “This should be a powerful scene,” but it just didn’t fully hit.
Costume
Ahhh, my biggest Nollywood pet peeve! The costume choices were off, especially in the more intimate scenes. Rita Dominic and Joseph Benjamin, for example, were so overdressed in a bedroom scene that was meant to feel raw and emotionally vulnerable. Instead of connecting to their pain, it looked like they were about to head to an event. We missed the moment.
Signing out
Let me know if you’ve seen it or if you plan to. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Til next time 🤎