I had registered
for one of the foremost film festivals in Africa, African International Film
Festival (AFRIFF) to celebrate its 10th
year festival anniversary, and was glad to receive a 'Special Invitation' to
see the festival closing film, 'Collision Course,' directed by a lawyer turned
theatre and movie guru, Bolanle Austen-Peters (BAP), and produced by Joseph
Umoibom and James Amuta at
the Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos state.
At the entry, I
was forced stopped by an obese, arrogant, yet stern-looking gatekeeper. His
white 'buba and sokoto' didn't do credit to his serious and uncompromising
attempt, particularly in asserting power and enforcing discipline, nor to his
impression of carrying out his orders of 'No IV, No Entry.'
I ordinarily
wouldn't have noticed, but three or more people waltzed in as if they owned the
place, or even the event, rather than Chioma Ude, the convener, and he made no
attempt to stop them. I couldn't figure out why this had happened. It was certainly
not humorous to me. He finally let me in after insisting on vetting my IV,
which he did reluctantly.
"Kim fi oruko bo la siri," as Yorubas would say. To avoid embarrassment, I'll keep his identity hidden. We sat down, and Lala Akindoju, the ever delectable, kicked things off by outlining the customary housekeeping regulations. She introduced the exquisite BAP as one of her close friends and coworkers not long after. BAP, who was dressed in a red gown and had a well-kept hairstyle, gave us a rundown of what to expect and gently recommended we relax and appreciate the unexpected.
After a few
seconds of technical difficulties, the movie began. I have to admit that I am a
little biased when it comes to the film 'Collision Course,' because it touched
two nerves in me that caused me to become really agitated. First and foremost,
I am a professionally trained actor/director, as well as a trained
Supernumerary Police Officer- ‘you gerrit, if you don't gerrit, forget about
it. So the presentation was anticipated, but in all honesty, it was the
anticipation of what our sister lawyer turned movie director had to offer. No
pun intended.
‘Collision Course’ was inspired by the #Endsars demonstration on October 20, 2020, which shook the Nigerian fabric. The purpose of the protest was to petition the authorities about alleged heinous crimes and extrajudicial killings perpetrated by the Special Anti Robbery Squad, (SARS), a unit of the Nigerian Police in charge of detecting, investigating, stopping, and stamping out armed robbery and related crimes.
The movie has a main plot and several subplots that intertwine to give us a potpourri or variants of life. The rich and the poor, the Government Reserved and Respected Area, and The Government Rejected Area, conflict of privileged parents and the perpetual war with their misunderstood children, The Government and the governed, and of course, the Police and the civilian populace as personified by Corporal Magnus and Mide Johnson played by Daniel Etim Effiong, who played the role of the overseas trained Lawyer turned struggling musician and his insecure wife wannabe pregnant girlfriend Hannah played by Big Brothers’ Bamike 'BamBam’ Adenibuyon.
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Bolanle Austen-Peters (Director)
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Temi had an encounter with TARS men (for the purposes of the film, SARS was renamed TARS) that left a perpetual scar on him and affect his respect for the men in black. He had seen firsthand how extrajudicial killings are carried out and how innocent individuals are literarily wasted for failing to pay their way out of the clutches of TARS troops who had scented and tasted blood.
This occurrence served as a preface to the film, and it is from this prelude that the rest of the film takes shape. The film begins with the beautiful Chioma Akpotha, who plays Corporal Magnus' wife, played by Kelechi Udegbe (in case you didn't know, Udegbe means "gun sound" in Igbo) scolding her husband for not taking care of the family and threatening to leave her matrimonial home for her father's home with her children. He assures her that he will join TARS and make money, but his wife mocks him, claiming that he is lily-livered and incapable of killing a cockroach.
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Daniel Effiong
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Now, what I like about the opening sequence, which was relatively captured by the writer James Amuta, and executed by the director, is the reality that stares us in the face, and just like the actors portrayed, the Police, who are grossly underfunded and poorly cared for, their remuneration is not in the least commensurate with the reality on the ground. I'll leave what I don't like for now till later, please excuse my grammar.
Corporal Magnus rides to work on a bike that was seized and was in the possession of a colleague who, as another rank police officer, is also dealing with challenges. They bemoan the occupational hazards they face, and their conversation leads to Magnus deciding to visit the TARS Commander, played by Greg Ojefua.
The Commander, or BOSS, as he prefers to be referred, is a quintessential example of a bad apple in any organization, be it police, military, or civil service, not to mention the private sector. A case of utilising what you have to get what you need, no matter whose ox is gored. The Boss informs him that his application to be transferred to TARS is complete, but that in order to demonstrate his commitment to the system, his (Magnus) wife must come to collect the transfer signal from the Boss. Of course, that gesture will have far-reaching repercussions for everyone involved.
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Chioma Akpotha
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While at work, Corporal Magnus receives a call from his wife informing him that she has carried out her threat of moving out of their matrimonial home and into her parents' home. This piece of news has a negative impact on Corporal Magnus as he begins to forcefully collect stipends from motorists, an act that, prior to receiving the phone call, was a case of the motorists not being corporative or generous in his opinion.
One of the few cars he stopped for the usual was sadly driven by Johnson, who was already upset over being cheated by a club manager who didn't think he had what it took to be a trendy and youth-centric dance floor musical artist, his father for not understanding his passion lies in music and not law practises, and of course, the ever reoccurring image of the executed civilians by the lagoon by TARS team members. The double-nuzzled shotgun was sure to go off, shattering the delicate and glass-like stillness in numerous directions.
Refusing to pay the 'bribe,' Johnson asks his girlfriend and their friend to drive him home in a hired taxi while he is held hostage on a drive. It is during this forced drive that the Policeman and Civilian realise that they are both victims of bad society, a society where the upper echelon of society cares less about the less fortunate part of society, a society where a Policeman has no insurance and must pay for his own injuries. It is spent before it reaches the beneficiary's account, resulting in a disastrous society in which 10% of the population controls 90% of the Commonwealth of a people. The relative serenity and some worth friendly resolution are shattered by the thunderous sound of a recoiled chamber and the wayward life arm that has left its now revolving shell casing into Johnson's torso.
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Gregory Ojefua
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In a panic, Corporal Magnus calls The Boss, who sets up an armed robbery with a gun gone the wrong scenario, while Bambam, who is pregnant, reports to the DPO, played by Norbert Young, with her friend Nneka, played by Ade Laoye. The DPO dispatches his officers to the crime scene, where Corporal Magnus is caught.
Without a doubt, this is a sad tale, but it is a glance into the ever-revolving black door that exposes and reveals the unfortunate situations and occurring that abound in our society and beyond.
A year or so ago, George Floyd was murdered primarily because of the colour of his skin, an Indian Hindu family was apprehended in England for masterminding the gruesome murder of their only daughter because she wanted to marry someone who was not acceptable to their family, and xenophobic attacks in South Africa are still fresh in our minds. Unfortunately, it is the culture in which we live, and every society has its peculiarities.
I must applaud Austen-Peters for broadening the scope of the topic of police brutality. Several shows and films would linger on how the police did this or that without delving into the causes of such acts, yet we cannot state that underfunding is an excuse for such behaviour.
We can't stress the importance of police welfare enough. These men and women have needs, as well as families and homes to care for. The government must ensure that an enabling environment and tools of service are readily available and not out of reach of non-gazetted personnel; and those non-commissioned officers are not forced to sit and watch junior colleagues with similar attributes, qualifications, and pieces of training climb the promotion ladder at their expense.
Before I start sounding like an armchair critic, let me say that I admire and applaud the casting. Kelechi Udegbe's portrayal of the role was right on, and it's no surprise that he carted home the festival's most coveted prize, 'Best Male Actor.' Aside from the casting, accolades should also be given to the location manager, technical team, and set and property crew.
Even though the sound wasn't emanating from there, I didn't have to squint or get close to the cyclorama to hear the voices. The camera work was likewise excellent, and I must pay shining respect to BAP for these aspects. My concern, on the other hand, is with two units: the Costume and Continuity departments. When commencing on a project of this magnitude, it is necessary that each unit conduct a thorough study in their respective departments.
The Police Uniforms were woefully insufficient in terms of form, presentation, and appearance. If we had chosen to wear any adornment instead of the eagle, elephant, and two crossed batons, I could have missed the severe error. But, despite the fact that this is a creative process, as Aristotle stated, "Art is a Collaborative process," the elephant, eagle, and two crossed batons are the symbol of the Nigerian Police.
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Bimbo Manuel
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The DPO's
uniform, worn by Norbert Young, should have been tucked in because it lacked
the two bottom pockets. Magnus should have only two buttons on his shirt as a
Corporal, and his name and file number should be plainly written on his
clothing. All military and paramilitary crests or cap badges are worn to the
left in Nigeria, with the cap twisted to the right. Any non-civilian personnel
seeing Corporal Magnus wearing the cap bent to the left will have a fit, just
like I did. I suppose the message is clear: his handling of the firearm, indeed
the handling of the rifle by all those involved reeked of ignorance.
BamBam's seat belt was frequently off and on during their journey from the Island to the Mainland, which the script supervisor/editor should have seen. This should be double-checked because such a glaring continuity issue in such a big movie was embarrassing.
Yes, before I forget, newly deceased bodies tend to sink and only rise once rigour Mortis sets in and the major stage of internal organ and tissue breakdown begins. Police officers and medical pathologists should be contacted before proceeding with any police-related endeavour; I didn't even see a Nigerian flag.
Bimbo Manuel, Kenneth Okonkwo, and other actors who demonstrated genius must be mentioned and commended. Thank you, BAP, for a worthwhile piece of work; I greatly enjoyed myself and look forward to knocking on your door again in future to see another masterpiece. Eku ise oooooh.
Chris Iheuwa writes from Lagos.
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Chris Iheuwa
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