Movie: LOCKDOWN
Reviewer: Mercy James
Release date: 2021
Director: Moses Inwang
The film Lockdown which was produced in 2021is based on a Nigerian medical doctor Ameyo Adadevoh, who is known to have curbed the spread of the Ebola virus in Nigeria by isolating patient, Patrick Sawyer.
The movie is related to the Covid outbreak and lockdown period, starring top actors in the movie industry, actors like Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Sola Sobowale, Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha, Deyemi Okanlawon among others. The duration of the movie is two Hours 24 Minutes
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Lockdown starts as we meet different casts, with their situations. Sunny gets injured while celebrating winning the lottery. Two entrepreneurs on a wedding day find themselves helping a young child after a hit-a-run. A woman who needs a medical exam before a big interview and a delivery man who must wait for Dr Ameyo Adadevoh to sign for the parcel. The group are placed in quarantine after an Holovirus outbreak is discovered. Forcing the group to remain in the hospital to stop the spread of the deadly virus.
The pandemic movie speaks about how vast medical practitioners are in curbing the spread of a virus that could kill millions. It also explains how quarantine interrupts the daily activities of millions of people ie the groom that was unable to return to his wedding ceremony.
The movie explains extensively the difficult situation we are forced to adapt to because of a pandemic, despite it being the right thing. How the people in quarantine see it as a prison, as they are busy living their own lives. It is an excellent look at how important the situation is, even if it isn’t comfortable for the people involved.
Lockdown has a questionable scene where Doctor Alexis Njoku comes in close contact with a Libyan patient infected with the fictional Holovirus. It was seen that she suspected the patient’s case to infected with the holovirus but still went ahead to examine him ‘half protected’.
The film written and directed by Moses Inwang follows the story of individuals who unfortunately in the words of Ekeinde’s character are “unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
Actors Tony Umez, Ini Dima-Okojie, Ben Touitou, Jidekene Achufusi, and comedian Josh2Funny each deliver class acts in their roles as the ill-fated squad trapped in the New Calvary hospital following the compulsory lockdown to contain the Holovirus.
Faced with the turmoil of a 21-day quarantine period at the expense of pivotal points in their lives, the group must either band together for survival or risk their lives in search of an escape route.
In 2014, Nigeria was unprepared for a virus as contagious as Ebola and Adedavoh relied on measures that unfortunately led to her exposure. In ‘Lockdown’, the carelessness of its most informed medical head is outrageously unbelievable. How do you restrict your protective gear to a face mask and get close enough to the point of attempting to physically restrain the patient?
Despite being the most exposed to the infectious patient, Njoku does not go into isolation immediately but carries on like the world is her oyster till an epiphany finally hits the scriptwriters towards the plot’s resolution.
The Njoku character is also part troubling and satisfying for Omotola fans. The actress is no vampire and in ‘Lockdown’, we see this as clear as day with streaks of grey hairs and stress lines.
It feels human to see our star vulnerable and in a role that embraces this vulnerability. But on the flip side, it signals the reality of the end of an era. This is not the same star that dazzled our screens.
Even with the perfectly scripted movie, the old and badly tailored nurse costumes, unimpressive special effects displaying injuries and the banner that was unable to completely mask ‘Reddington Lekki Hospital’ logo didn’t go unnoticed
The movie director Inwang selected the right actors for the roles. Although some characters went highly overboard with the theatrics but by a long shot, they offer gratifying performances.
Lockdown is now streaming on Netflix.
