Created by Kamisi Adebisi and directed by Abiodun Udom, Boys Like Us is a Nigerian BL (boys love) LGBTQ+ movie starring Kem Ajieh Ikechukwu, Oscar Chihurumanya, Bobby Okoye, Leopatrick Nnubia, and Dozie Uzoma.
Boys Like Us so far portrays the love lives of 4 male queer friends living in Lagos. The series’ main themes cut across love, discrimination, sexual and domestic abuse, queer living in Nigeria, and much more. The web series also portrays the stereotypes and common expectations that society sometimes has for men maritally, which most time is to grow up, make money, and get married to a woman and have kids.
Episode 1 starts with a party and ends in chaos, as the boys are robbed. Episode 2 starts on a lighter note. The boys find a helper and are able to recover some of their stolen items. Episode 3 goes deeper into the realities of queer life, filled with some tension and a deeper dive into the storyline. In episode 4, the series may have reached its climax when the characters are faced with unexpected incidents.
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The directors of Boys Like Us took a bold step in creating such a movie. Nigeria is generally a homophobic country, and basically, being homosexual is illegal. This and also the fact that it is against the general belief of Nigerians. This makes Nigeria not the most welcoming country for coming out as queer and for movies like this.
The actors did well in portraying their characters’ feelings and emotions, and queerness. Though not an Oscar-worthy performance, they did nail their roles.
The series so far has done well in portraying how not so easy it is to come out. In the second episode, it was seen that one of the characters had a conversation with his mother. His mother, who was urging him to get married (to a woman). This conversation happened because his mum was not aware of his sexuality. Due to the fear of non-acceptance and discrimination, it is most time difficult for queer people to come out. As commonly seen when topics like this arise in Nigeria, people are not usually accepting.
It was an attempt at the unconventional, but at the same time, the storyline was a cliché, somewhat predictable. But it sure is something new and different, though it might not be the preference of an average Nigerian. If you are into BL movies, you might find the series interesting.
To enjoy this series, one would have to erase every form of stereotype and watch it with an open mind. The series so far is a shot at something new, though it might be considered a missed shot. The series overall is not at all a bad watch.
The web series is available on YouTube on @Carmsee TV.
