The Lost Okoroshi is a neat little fantasy story that speaks to our deep seeded need to get away from the rat race, but it also had a need to finish a lot sooner than it actually did.
This story follows Raymond (Seun Ajayi), a security guard whose purpose in life checking out women and figuring out how to escape the hectic city of Lagos in favour of the relaxed countryside. He’s plagued by surreal dreams where he’s haunted by a traditional Okoroshi masquerade (ancestral spirit). One morning, our protagonist wakes up to discover he’s been transformed into a purple spirit. He must navigate Lagos in this new form and his journey takes him on an adventure across all walks of life and even a secret society that want to commandeer the masquerade for their very own.
It’s an interesting bit of escapist cinema but The Last Okoroshi needed to be a little more lean and mean then its current 94 minute run time.
While it has some grander moments that play out well, making some salient cultural statements, the last 1/3rd does drag a little too long and makes you wish it just kind of got on with its story.
The Lost Okoroshi is an interesting little slice of a life that we really don’t see on this side of the globe, but it needed to be a little more efficient to be truly memorable.
David Voigt is a Toronto based writer with a problem and a passion for the moving image and all things cinema. Having moved from production to the critical side of the aisle for well over 15 years now at outlets like Examiner.com, Criticize This, Dork Shelf (Now That Shelf), and to.Night Newspaper.
He’s been all across the continent; serving on the FIPRESCI Jury at the Festival Du Nouveau Cinema in Montreal, covering festivals out side of Toronto like Calgary Underground Film Festival, CUFF Docs, Slamdance, Fantasia, SXSW, DOC NYC, Santa Barbara Film Festival, New York Asian Film Festival and many others
However, In the uncertain world of modern film journalism, David also knew that he needed to have a hand in writing and cementing his own contributions on the global film scene.
Having eclipsed the 10 year anniversary of his own outlet, In The Seats, where he’s been striving to support film (and TV) from all walks of life and his podcast “In The Seats With…” where after 5 & ½ years and over 750 episodes he’s talked with a wide variety of filmmakers, actors, behind the scenes artisans and so much more on the art of storytelling for the screen, which is spawning the launch of a new show in the Spring of 2026. “ITS: Soundtracks” will focus on the use of soundtrack and score in film which he believes is a combination that is the cinematic equivalent of Peanut Butter and Chocolate.
All this as well as hosting and moderating a variety of big screen events around the city, covering film in all its forms is just a way of life for him.
