One of the notable feats movies from Nollywood achieved in 2023 was making big language movies and getting the world to see how diverse in languages Nigeria is through Netflix and Prime Video. Movies like Mami Wata, Jagun Jagun, and The Trade were unabashed in their use of pidgin and the local languages. Nollywood also did not shy away from stories critical of authorities and the state of governance.
The latter is particularly where Blood Vessel, a production of Playnetwork Studio excels. The film released December 8, 2023, secured the top 10 films in various countries throughout 2022.
It also became the most-watched film in the Non-English Film category by garnering 4.4 million views between December 11 and 17. The drama thriller also boasts an impressive 8.8 million viewing watch hours, maintaining its position on the top 10 list for two consecutive weeks.
Produced by Charles Okpaleke, Arafat Bello-Osagie, Roxanne Adekunle-Wright, and Agozie Ugwu, Blood Vessel is a movie that tugs at the heart, rehashing issues politicians don’t like to face. It is arguably Nollywood’s visual protest of the injustice that continues to be meted out to communities where the country’s most profitable resource is derived.
Blood Vessel is a story of six young men brought together by chance and embarked on a perilous journey on the ocean inside a ship laden with stolen crude oil headed to Europe. The movie begins in the lush green and agrarian town of Nembe before the oil, the “evil mineral”, was discovered beneath the ground. The story takes a sinister direction after the discovery of crude oil, as drilling activities pollute the waterways, killing aquatic life and posing life-threatening risks to the health of the residents. The government’s neglect of the welfare of the residents soon led to protests.
In one of the protests, a group led by Boma (played by Jideken Achufusi) and his friend Degbe (Levi Chikere) decided to take things one step further. Levi threw a Molotov cocktail that torched a militarised policeman and caused his death. A panicked Boma and his friend fled the scene with the military hot on their tails.
At the same moment, Oyin (played by Adaobi Dibor) on another side of the town is locked up in her room by her father, Ebiye (Bimbo Manuel) who is incensed by the thought of her being in love much less confessing expecting a baby from her boyfriend, Abbey (David Ezekiel). In anger, Ebiye sets out with a machete to find Abbey. As he was leaving through the front door, Abbey was coming through the backyard to find the love of his life and set her free through an AC vent. Once she came down from the vent, Oyin and Abbey ran only to find themselves being pursued by the military forces.
Also caught on the run were two brothers who had set out with the initial intention of meeting up with a certain Mr P (Francis Duru) who had promised to help them get to Brazil on a boat for a fee.
The six characters will eventually end up as stowaways on a ship headed to Southern America. The major problem was, that the ship was owned by a notorious crude smuggler (Alex Cyr Gubin) who had no squabbles bribing coastal guards in different countries to provide him easy passage or murdering those that stood in his path in the most gruesome fashion.
Blood Vessel continues the trend of Nollywood blockbusters allowing new casts to shine in major roles. Apart from Bimbo Manuel, Francis Duru and a few old actors in Nollywood, Blood Vessel was largely populated by new actors, some making their first appearance in a big movie. It also sourced talents from the local community as evidenced by many of the characters that took part in the protest scenes and the ending scenes.
Blood Vessel’s focus on highlighting some of the important issues that oil communities face is what makes it distinct and puts it in contention as a potential classic. The themes highlighted include oil spills that rub communities of livelihood, oil theft actively run by the powerful political class, a caste system that alienates certain groups in the society no matter their talents, and the dangerous Mediterranean passage that continues to claim the lives of young men and women searching for greener pastures through the ocean.
“We Africans must take it upon ourselves to tell our own African stories as we live them – raw and unfiltered, portraying our successes and challenges exactly as we wish to be perceived, seen, received, and understood by the world,” said Charles Okpaleke, executive producer and producer of Blood Vessel. “Our stories and experiences are uniquely ours, and we cannot expect anyone else to comprehend our experiences or narrate our stories better than we can.”
The movie also shows a lot of research in creating the cinematography. The sets of the scenes are realistic in capturing the suffering and the chaos of a Niger Delta society in the throes of an oil spill and a vengeful military force. The ship set and the use of smaller boats are also believable.
The role interpretation is also a high point for Blood Vessel. Despite their relative inexperience, the cast hardly missed a step in their delivery. The dialogue suffers a few time lags that may potentially leave viewers bored with a few scenes. There were also one or two characters whose roles were not fully employed. For example, the captain of the ship who was saved by Abbey went missing in action and would only reappear after the death of Russian villain, Igor.
The outstanding performance goes to Ezekiel. His chemistry with Dibor ignites every scene they are in. The last scene on the boat where he returns to the bunker where the six of them were stowed is a nice touch. The flashbacks also help to enliven the plot. Blood Vessel brings an elevation to storytelling in Nollywood and conversations we must continue to have.
