The Price 2017

Seyi Ogunde is the American son of Nigerian immigrants who live just outside New York City. He has carved out a path through a prestigious college and a competitive finance job, exuding a quiet confidence that hides a lingering sense of being an outsider because of his heritage. As he balances life in a demanding city with the pressure to prove himself, the weight of his background and the expectations he feels from both family and society press down on him, nudging him toward risky choices he might not otherwise consider.

In Hackensack, New Jersey, the family story unfolds under strain. His father, Ife Ogunde, is stroke-ridden and longs for a return to Nigeria, while his mother works long hours as a nurse to keep the household afloat. His sister shoulders the caregiving duties for their ailing parent, and a painful past incident lingers in the background, never fully addressed but shaping how the family moves forward. The emotional toll of these challenges settles over Seyi as he navigates a life that seems to demand more than he can safely give.

To cope with mounting pressures, Seyi leans on prescription drugs obtained illegally, and his dependence deepens as the lines between work, family, and personal life blur. He encounters Liz Sloane, a woman from a well-to-do background, and he convinces himself that he must inflate his own story to win her over and to satisfy the expectations of those who believe in him. This sense of needing to perform leads him into a highly fraudulent financial scheme that promises quick gains but also exposes him to serious risk—both legally and personally.

As his scheme grows, the consequences accelerate. The law closes in on him, tightening the noose around his career and his freedom. Liz begins to sense that he is not who he presented himself to be, and the deception threatens the fragile trust between them. His dependence on prescription drugs intensifies, eventually landing him in the hospital as his world continues to tilt toward chaos. The crisis deepens when his father suffers a second major stroke, and a painful family secret finally comes to light, shattering the already fragile relationships that tether him to reality. With federal investigators pressing hard and his personal bonds splintering, Seyi is forced to confront the true cost of the choices he has made.

The story unfolds as a portrait of ambition colliding with duty, desire colliding with honesty, and the harrowing ripple effects that follow when a young man tries to counterfeit belonging. In the end, Seyi must decide what kind of future he is willing to fight for, even as the consequences of his actions continue to unfold around him. The film invites viewers to reflect on the pull of success, the weight of family obligations, and the perilous ground between self-improvement and self-deception.