“The Party” – A Whodunnit Cloaked in Family, Friendship, and Friction

“The Party” opens with celebration but quickly descends into chaos—and death.

This gripping series follows the mysterious death of Akinbobola Balogun, a young married man who suddenly drops dead on the day an elaborate party is being thrown in his honor. At the center of the ensuing investigation is his wife, a principled woman who, despite her grief, becomes the prime suspect in her husband’s death, not necessarily because of evidence, but because of bias.

To Akinbobola’s close-knit circle of friends, she was the woman who stole their guy the outsider who took their friend away and “changed him.” To his mother (played by Shaffy Bello), the suspicion runs even deeper. She believes the wife killed her son, convinced by the words of a seer. As the series unfolds, viewers are pulled into the tangled web of secrets, relationships, and deep-seated tensions that ultimately reveal the truth behind Akinbobola’s demise.

Direction, Cast & Storytelling

Directed by Yemi Morafa, The Party brings together a stellar ensemble cast including Kunle Remi, Segun Arinze, Uzor Arukwe, Ayoola Ayolola, Kehinde Bankole, Shaffy Bello, Motunrayo Balogun, Femi Branch, Yomi Fash-Lanso, and Bimbo Manuel.

The movie opens with a poolside celebration for Akinbobola (Kunle Remi), but within minutes, his lifeless body crashes from an upper floor into the pool, sparking panic. The police step in, and the story begins to unravel in layers.

While the filmmakers clearly intended to start with the climax and then backtrack, the beginning felt a bit underwhelming. The opening lacked the intensity or urgency that typically hooks viewers into a mystery. Personally, interest began to build when Shaffy Bello’s character, the grieving mother, has a quietly powerful car conversation with an apostle. That moment marked a turning point in storytelling, where the emotional and spiritual weight of the narrative started to kick in.

Standout Performances

Two actors clearly stole the show: Shaffy Bello and Ayoola Ayolola.
Their performances were natural, believable, and emotionally layered. They brought depth without overacting, and their scenes felt incredibly real.

One casting choice that didn’t land as well was Kelechi Udegbe as the detective. He didn’t quite carry the aura of a lead investigator, he looked more like a desk constable, the kind you meet at a police station front desk. If Ayoola Ayolola hadn’t already been cast, he might have been a perfect fit for that role.

Kunle Remi understandably had a laid-back role (being the dead man), so the emotional center of the film shifted to those around him. Kehinde Bankole, who played the wife, nailed her role as the outsider who drives a wedge between Akinbobola and his long-time friends, standing her ground every time they tried to pull him back into the single life.

Technical Excellence

Technically, The Party holds its own.

One standout scene was when Akinbobola’s mother visits an Islamic Alfa for spiritual consultation. The lighting and framing were cinematic, evoking a mood that felt almost Hollywood-level. Another impressive sequence is the nightclub scene, where ambient light, music, and camera angles created a truly immersive vibe without drowning out dialogue. It was handled with precision and restraint.

The color grading also deserves mention. It uses rich contrasts and clean highlights, not overly stylized, but polished. Visually, it echoes what you might find in a Netflix production like Mea Culpa.

Final Verdict: 6/10

While the storytelling gets off to a shaky start, the strong performances, direction, and technical polish make The Party worth watching. It’s a story of love, betrayal, suspicion, and societal pressure told with restraint and elegance.

But a word of caution: There is a nude scene in Episode 1. If you’re not into that, keep your remote handy to skip ahead.

Overall, The Party gets a 6/10 a recommendable watch for fans of slow-burn mysteries and family drama with spiritual undertones.