THE COLLISION COURSE IS MORE THAN JUST A LINK BETWEEN NIGERIAN POLICE AND #ENDSARS PROTEST

BAP MAKES YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THE BAD MAN.

Joseph Omoniyi

Synopsis/Summary

From the producer of 93 Days, Bling Lagosians, Man of God, Bolanle Austen-Peters, Collision Course premiered on Netflix in September. Directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters, and co-produced by Joseph Umoibom and James Amuta, it features Daniel Effiong, Kelechi Udegbe, Chioma Akpotha, Bamike Olawunmi-Adenibuyan (BamBam), Ade Laoye, Kenneth Okolie, Bimbo Manuel, Gregory Ojefua, Nobert Young. A social commentary on the widespread Nigerian police brutality that birthed the #Endsars protest across the country, the 72-minute movie won Kelechi Udegbe’ The Best Actor in a Lead Role’ Award, during its Nigerian premier in October 2021, as the closing film for the African Film Festival. It also bagged two of its four nominations at the year’s African Movie Academic Award and recently emerged as ‘The West Africa’s Best Movie’ at the AMVCA 2022.

The movie chooses not to demonise the Nigerian police; instead, it humanises and characterises it outrightly.

Central Dramatic Problem

Collision Course is set against the backdrop of one of the most popular protests in the history of Nigeria, #Endsars, which shook almost every corridor of the nation. So, BAP decided to take a deeper and very rare dive into discussing the heinous, brutal, and inhumane activities of the Nigerian Police’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad, popularly known as SARS. The movie, however, put the name under the guise – TARS. The movie clearly mirrors this unit’s series of events and activities that led to the October 2020 protest across the country, which climaxed on the 20th of the same month, leading to the death of some of the protesters.

Despite addressing such a sensitive, relevant theme that is still fresh in contemporary Nigerian society, one of the major things this movie does beautifully is how it weaves the plot in emotion. The movie chooses not to demonise the Nigerian police; instead, it humanises and characterises it outrightly. We know the war (drama) is between the Nigerian youth versus the Nigerian police, but this particular collision leaves us in a pool of mixed emotions.

Plot/Sub-plot/Plants

The narrative sequence of this movie is simple and seamless in its kind of way—Linear and a couple of flashbacks, leading the audience to its climax. Although the way the story is told is a clear indication that the director chose the message rather than entertainment and the message, it did pass naturally and seamlessly.

The central plot follows a struggling, upcoming Nigerian music artiste who is brutally harassed by TARS and witnesses the torture and death of other victims. This makes him traumatic and leaves him with PTSD. He tries to move on with his life, but his constant battles with his dad, who wants him to ditch his ‘useless’ music career for what he spent his money to train him in the UK, law. In addition, the dance floors, a misplaced audience who will not appreciate his brand of music, and the manager who takes advantage of him would not let him move on.

His goal is to get a promotion in order to be able to take care of his family. He then gets frustrated as ‘stingy’ Nigerians fail to appreciate him for being one of the policemen who have not gone rogue.

This is set against Magnus (Kelechi Udegbe), a frustrated, underpaid police corporal who lives with his starving family in a dehumanising environment. Collision Course tells a realistic tale, building an emotional setup of our two principal characters before their eventual collision. In an attempt to rescue his family from poverty and prevent his nagging wife from taking his children to the village owing to hunger, Magnus is pitched between joining the TARS, whose officers are famous for toxic operations, extortions, brutality, and extra-judicial killings. Alternatively, continue or remain in the impoverished police barracks and probably die as a corporal leaving his family with no hope.

However, it is not a hard choice for Magnus, who is desperate enough to force his way out of abject poverty, until the TARS Commander (Gregory Ojefua) tells him to inform “his pretty wife to come and collect” his transfer letter. Unfortunately, he finds that bridge challenging to cross, so he returns to his’ stop and search duty’ on the streets of Lagos, where his course eventually collides with that of Mide, and the events that ensue thereof change both of their lives forever and leave us the audience with emotional baggage, just like that.

Screenplay

James Amuta did a decent job with the screenplay if we turn a blind eye to some loopholes in the plot. The screenplay was obviously more about the message than entertainment and reality in some of its scenery. The story begins with an intriguing setup, a series of scenes almost every Nigerian youth is familiar with, as a victim or a witness. In their brandless Sienna car, some TARS members double-cross and abduct Mide during the dark hours. The next time he opens his eyes, he meets himself in a weird location, under a bridge called ‘Abattoir’, alongside other victims. Dead bodies on the floor, a young guy being tortured for his ATM pin. Mide quickly gets the message. Thank goodness he could buy the conscience of the commanding officer and his life on the spot. Unfortunately, the next guy could not. He is shot dead for his empty bank account, an event that should unsettle the rest of his life or the next three weeks.

Nevertheless, we see our guy three weeks after such a horrific experience – ask any young Nigerian who shares the same kind of experience, and they would tell you it is near impossible to come out bubbling, partying, and all lively. However, that aside, how did he not share it with his girlfriend, the closest person to him? This is how the screenwriter hooks the audience and soaks them in a relatable emotion – anger and irritation, some of which set up the eventual massive, nationwide #Endsars protest. But this is not where we meet Mide.

Bolanle Austen-Peters is not new to telling social commentary stories; with Collision Course, she focuses on the message rather than entertainment, telling the passionate stories of two individuals whose separate worlds collide at the movie’s climax.

The screenplay introduces us to our guy, Mide, to make us root for him. A young, aspiring music artiste with his struggles. A conflict with his dad, who wants him to quit wasting his life on music, and his passion for making money by practising law, with a degree he bagged from the UK. Another with a society that is alien to his brand of music. Meanwhile, he has a pregnant girlfriend, Hannah (BamBam), to take care of and a wedding to prepare for.

Character and Characterisation

Collision Course portrays characters that are very relatable to an average Nigerian. Mide is a struggling Nigerian youth trying to climb the ladder of success in his chosen career path. Though he comes from a wealthy home and father, his life ordeals in the face of systemic conflict, societal expectations, family issues, and a romantic relationship embody the Nigerian youth. His goal to be a successful musician is conflicted by the rogue elements in the Nigerian Police Force, his father and societal expectations.

Magnus is, however, a contrasting character to Mide’s; he is in the system but not of the system. He, too, has goals and pursuits that the systems mess up for him. The characterisation of Magnus is almost perfect. What Mide’s character lacks, he has it. Coming face to face with his need. His goal is to get a promotion in order to be able to take care of his family. He then gets frustrated as ‘stingy’ Nigerians fail to appreciate him for being one of the policemen who have not gone rogue. However, he needs to realise that the Nigerian youth is not his enemy but the system. Kelechi Udegbe clearly ate this role for breakfast.

Cinematography

The cinematography of Collision Course is not fantastic, but it is a good effort. With a time-lapse from day to night as the opening frame, it sets up a light to darkness feel and functionally to the story; night is when most evils are perpetrated, whether by the armed robbers or the rogue animals in police uniform. Then, with handheld, shaky shots and tight close-ups, we are thrown into the chaotic world of Mide, an event that unsettles the rest of his life. With insertions and cutaways, the cinematography takes us into the world of our main characters. Mide is passionate about his genre of music – Raw African Poetry. We see how close he is to his laptop, headset, etc., with which he makes music. Pictures of many successful artistes on his room’s wall show his aspiration. It does the same for the other half of the collision. Sets up with a series. – a slow-moving bird’s eye-view shot of a slum area with rusted corrugated iron roofing sheets. Rail lines. Then takes us into Magnus’ world. Drops of water – A licking roof. Dozens of rumpled clothes, including a police uniform on a homemade hanger hanging on two bags of “ghana-must-go” inside one room. A picture of a once smiling family, with the wife pregnant, hangs on the wall. Then we see an empty baby carrier on the bed – the cinematography is trying to tell us something is not right. We later find out that Magnus and his wife had lost a baby, their lastborn, due to a lack of money.

Directorial Prowess/Production Design/Post-production

Bolanle Austen-Peters is not new to telling social commentary stories; just as with 93 Days, a recount of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, Man of God, etc., she mirrors the real-life narrative that spurs the ignition of a massive nationwide protest, #Endsars in 2020. However, with Collision Course, she focuses on the message rather than entertainment, telling the passionate stories of two individuals whose separate worlds collide at the movie’s climax. With the production design, sound design, and mise en scene, especially the setup scenes, BAP throws the audience into a familiar event. One could easily be triggered.

Lesson Learnt

Collision Course creates two worlds messed up by systemic rottenness in the Nigerian police structure. The lesson comes in a circle when Mide makes Magnus realises that the Nigerian is not his enemy but the same system he is working passionately for, but it is too late. Magnus has been ‘driven’ to a point where his terrible initial decision served him a more terrible consequence.

Conclusion

Aside from a couple of plot holes, Collision Course serves beautiful storytelling of a familiar, relatable event, setting us up for an emotional ending.

Verdict

 Collision Course deserves an 80/100- you are the bomb, be ready for Oscar

Shoots.ng Score Guide

Every Item is 10 marks and 100% in all.

71- 100%= you are the bomb, be ready for Oscar

51-70%= thank you for repping quality

31- 50%= you can do better, up your game

11-30%= Return to film school

01- 10%= Filming is not for you, look for another job

Picture credits- internet