The Stone Drew Ripples is a riveting Drama from Nigerian filmmaker, Orimz

by Nav Qateel

From Nigerian filmmaker Damilola Orimogunje, credited as Orimz, The Stone Drew Ripples is a film unlike anything I’ve seen in quite some time. Set in his native Nigeria, Orimz crafts a drama that starts off like many dramas that have come before, then the third act turns into something that could be mistaken for an episode of Black Mirror, which was a refreshing change, although it left me feeling gut punched, but in a good way.

A middle-class family is thrown into turmoil when their youngest daughter Simi falls ill, needing an extremely expensive procedure that will cost three hundred thousand U.S. dollars, and require traveling abroad for a bone marrow transplant. The father works as a lecturer and doesn’t earn anywhere near enough to foot this kind of bill.

Elder brother and sister and Simi’s parents attempt to raise the money, with elder sister Bimpe even resorting to questionable things. Eventually they attempt a Gofundme, or a “Nowfundme” as it’s titled here, which brings them much needed attention from a famous singer. Gogoba is on the rise in Nigeria, and she and Simi record an album to raise enough for Simi’s treatment. Everything is going well for this nice family, then things take an extremely bad turn, with disaster awaiting followed by bleakness.

The Stone Drew Ripples is a fascinating film in the way that it slowly delivers what appears to be a standard drama involving expensive medical bills and a seemingly pedestrian tale that anyone can relate to. Then really turns that screw carefully and very deliberately leaving one shellshocked because that standard finally never arrives. It’s an unusual tale in that it subverts expectations in a way that I honestly didn’t see coming, yet I enjoyed immensely precisely because of that.

Orimz competently handles the script, and gets the best from his cast of wonderful actors. Each deliver authentic, heartfelt performances, and bring their A game to this project. I liked that we had almost every type of character featured, from the sympathetic to the downright nasty, giving plenty for the cast to get their teeth into. The Stone Drew Ripples is a movie that perhaps won’t suit every pallet, however if you pass it up you’ll miss something you don’t get to see often enough.

As a filmmaker, Orimz appears to have a bright future ahead of him, and I’d love to see him work in the west with a budget, which will give him broader appeal. I will absolutely be following his career from henceforth because this filmmaker is a contender.

Recommended.

Nav’s Grade: B

Note: The Stone Drew Ripples was submitted for review by owners of Rebelus Productions: Data Belema Don-Pedro and Olanrewaju Adeniran