Diran “Direxblows” Aderinto’s Iṣilọ – A Settlement Story is a documentary that feels both intimate and urgent. It is a story about migration, but more importantly, it is a story about what it means to search for home, identity, and belonging in unfamiliar spaces. Told with striking honesty and visual sensitivity, the film captures the dissonance between expectation and reality, the weight of systemic barriers, and the beauty of resilience.
At its core, Iṣilọ is not about policy, statistics, or abstract debates. It is about people, individuals who must carry their history, culture, and dreams into new environments that are not always welcoming. Through its blend of first-person reflection, observational detail, and visual storytelling, the film brings to life the everyday realities of migration: the loneliness of starting over, the sting of prejudice, and the surprising comfort found in unlikely places
A Film Rooted in Human Honesty
From the outset, Iṣilọ grounds its narrative in authenticity. The film opens with reflections on leaving one’s home country, a process both exciting and daunting. What might be romanticized in popular imagination, the fresh start and the new life abroad, is immediately complicated by the realities of bureaucracy, housing struggles, and the pressure of juggling studies with work.
What stands out is the tone of honesty. The characters do not dramatize their challenges, nor do they position themselves as victims. Instead, they speak with a balance of vulnerability and dignity, expressing both the pain of exclusion and the quiet pride of resilience. When one character recounts being asked by colleagues if he was a “Nigerian prince” or a “scammer,” the moment is not played for shock value. Instead, it lands with quiet sadness, highlighting how stereotypes persist in seemingly casual conversations. This restraint in tone makes the film even more powerful: it does not tell us to feel outrage, it simply shows the truth and lets us sit with it.
Thematic Depth: From Bureaucracy to Belonging
Diran structures the film around layered themes that reflect the full spectrum of migrant experience.
Bureaucratic Barriers. The demand for a police character report, despite the extensive checks already completed in visa applications, illustrates how systems are not only inefficient but also alienating. For migrants, paperwork becomes not just a technical requirement but a subtle form of exclusion, a reminder that they are continually under suspicion.
Cultural Displacement. The film highlights how moving to a new city requires re-learning everything, from language to social codes. Where home once meant familiarity and community, the new environment often feels isolating. The contrast between Nigerian collectivism, where “everyone is in your business,” and the individualism of Manchester is one of the documentary’s sharpest observations.
Stereotypes and Prejudice. The assumption that Nigerians are scammers, or that Blackness is associated with danger, underscores how race shapes daily interactions. These moments of microaggression accumulate into a psychological burden. The film does not sensationalize them but reveals how exhausting they can be.
Friendship and Community. Yet, alongside these struggles, Diran introduces counterweights of hope. A chance meeting with another Black friend leads to the discovery of a Friday football game. Here, the film finds its central metaphor: football as community, joy, and a temporary release from the weight of difference.
Through this thematic balance, Iṣilọ avoids becoming one-dimensional. It does not reduce migration to hardship; instead, it captures the full emotional range, frustration, laughter, loneliness, solidarity, making it feel human and real.
Symbolism of Football: More Than a Game
Football in Iṣilọ is not just a sport. It is a metaphor for the possibility of belonging. On the pitch, the labels of migrant or minority vanish. Players become teammates, rivals, or friends. The game allows for emotional release, anger at a missed pass, laughter at a playful mistake, the thrill of victory.
Diran uses football as a visual and thematic counterpoint. Scenes of isolation in daily life, long bus rides, workplace microaggressions, are contrasted with the vibrancy of football games. The pitch becomes a sanctuary, a space where the rules are clear and the playing field is, at least symbolically, level. It is here that bonds are formed, housing is secured, and friendships deepen.
By anchoring the narrative in football, the film universalizes the migrant experience. Even viewers who have never moved abroad can understand the healing power of sport, play, and shared joy.
Characters: Carriers of Dignity and Resilience
The characters in Iṣilọ are the heart of the film. They are not faceless migrants but individuals with stories, humour, and agency. Their willingness to speak openly about discrimination, loneliness, and cultural dissonance is courageous. But just as importantly, they also share their joy, the laughter on the pitch, the camaraderie of friendship, the relief of finding a home.
What makes the characters so compelling is their dignity. They are not presented as victims needing sympathy but as resilient individuals navigating difficult systems with grace. Their stories humanize migration in a way that policy papers and news headlines cannot. Diran treats them with respect, giving them space to speak, to pause, and to exist fully as human beings.
Cinematography and Attention to Detail
Visually, Iṣilọ stands out for its sensitivity and detail. Diran’s cinematography avoids spectacle in favour of intimacy. The camera feels close but never invasive, observing rather than imposing.
Handheld shots create a sense of presence, as though the audience is walking beside the characters. This technique draws viewers into the everyday realities of migration, making us feel the bus rides, the workplace exchanges, and the moments of solitude.
Close-ups capture emotional nuance: the tiredness in someone’s eyes after a long day, the flicker of pride when a challenge is overcome, the smile shared on a football pitch. These details make the film feel lived-in.
Natural lighting enhances authenticity. The grey skies of Manchester, the glow of a sunset on the football field, the dim light of a student flat, each environment feels organic, unpolished, and true to life. The city is not romanticized; it is shown as it is, both welcoming and alienating.
Attention to detail is evident throughout. A pause in conversation, a glance on public transport, the sound of laughter cutting through silence, these small elements give the film texture. They remind us that migration is not only shaped by major events but also by countless small moments that define daily life.
Together, these cinematographic choices elevate the film beyond testimony into art. Diran’s eye for detail transforms personal stories into universal cinema.
Writer-Director Synergy
One of the film’s greatest strengths is the synergy between writing and direction. Because Diran is both writer and director, the film carries a unified vision. The script provides a confessional tone, while the direction translates that into lived reality through visuals.
Diran understands rhythm: when to let silence linger, when to allow music to carry a scene, when to cut from solitude to the energy of football. This sensitivity ensures that the film never feels monotonous, even when dealing with weighty themes. The balance of voice and image shows a filmmaker who trusts both words and visuals to tell the story.
Social Relevance
Iṣilọ could not be more timely. In an era where migration is often politicized, the film insists on the humanity of migrants. It reminds us that migration is not just about moving from one country to another, it is about rebuilding identity, forging community, and navigating systems that are not always welcoming.
By focusing on personal experience, Diran challenges stereotypes and invites empathy. The documentary does not offer easy solutions but instead offers understanding. In doing so, it contributes to broader conversations about inclusivity, diversity, and social justice.
Areas for Growth
While the film is powerful, its intimacy occasionally narrows its scope. Including more voices, other migrants, locals, or even institutional perspectives, could broaden the story. Similarly, while the cinematography is effective, future works could experiment further with visual metaphors and symbolic imagery to add new layers of meaning.
However, these are not weaknesses so much as opportunities. They point to the exciting potential Diran has as a filmmaker with both vision and sensitivity.
Overall Impact
Iṣilọ – A Settlement Story succeeds because of Diran’s commitment as both writer and director, the courage of the characters, and the sensitivity of the cinematography. It is visually engaging, emotionally honest, and socially urgent.
The documentary lingers in the mind not only because of its critique of discrimination and isolation, but also because of its celebration of resilience, friendship, and the joy of football. It
shows us that migration is not only about survival but about finding new ways to live, laugh, and belong.
Verdict
★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
A heartfelt, cinematic work that confirms Diran as a filmmaker to watch. His writing is sincere, his direction intentional, and his eye for detail elevates the film from testimony to art. The characters bring warmth and dignity, and the visuals give the story life. This is documentary cinema at its most human.
Babatunde Odubanwo is a public relations expert who moonlights as a culture advocate, scriptwriter, playwright, and poet. He is the author of Maren, a critically acclaimed play in honour of Professor Wole Soyinka. He was also nominated for the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards for his scriptwriting role in a movie.
