Man Down

[bigletter]Man Down is directed by Victor Olukoju (PVO), an award-winning gospel film maker, actor and director. It is a beautifully told story of a young woman who finds God’s grace at the point of her disgrace.[/bigletter] The plot is mostly straightforward with some surprising sub-plots. The inciting incident is introduced from the get-go. In one unguarded moment, Bola and Chidi engage in premarital sex while trying to console the deeply hurting Chidi. They love each other but marriage seems impossible.

Chidi and Bola are remorseful that they have dishonored their vows of chastity to God and to each other. Guilt pulls them apart. Bola’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Olabisi, forbid their union. Her pastor’s wife presses on her to marry Jude. Her mother commands her to accept Jude’s proposal. Jude himself pesters her to no end. Amid all these, Bola discovers that she is pregnant for Chidi.

Bola’s dilemma is compounded by her parents’ disdain for Chidi who they consider “a low-bred, wanna be, gold digger scum and riff raff,” unlike Jude who is a fine Christian and the most sought-after bachelor.

Bola’s parents are influential members of their church while Bola is the Youth President and a highly commended role model in that same church. Pregnancy out of wedlock is a big disgrace that must be avoided at all cost. To Bola’s parents, abortion is the only solution, and justifiable with the scripture, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted.” The dialogue in this scene is intense and along with the actors’ performance draw the viewer in and help advance the storytelling.

A plot twist reveals the type of Christians Mr. and Mrs. Olabisi are. After attempts to persuade Bola to abort the baby fails, her mother seems to suddenly have a change of mind and let her have her way. She offers the unsuspecting Bola a drink. As Bola drinks, an ominous feeling is aroused within the audience. This suspense is quicky resolved in the next scene when Bola’s parents reveal that the drink is meant to abort the baby. 

Word gets out that Bola was pregnant and has aborted her baby. As her pastor questions her, she takes the fall and does not reveal that her parents are the culprits. She and her parents are publicly shamed in church. Her parents have no word of comfort for the wounded and hurting Bola. Of all her antagonists, Bola’s parents are the most daunting. As things continue to unravel, she moves out of the house. The evenly paced movie climaxes with Bola moving away from home, now exposed to further compromise.

The use of light humor between two heavy scenes is very effective as Fejiro and Bola joke about Jude and his proposal. The characters in the movie are believable and a few worthy of sympathy. When it turns out that the most wanted bachelor, Jude is a rapist one cannot but have a sense of relief that Bola did not cave in to the pressure to marry him.

Better lighting in a few scenes could have enhanced the overall quality of the movie. Nevertheless, the use of dim light at the beginning of the movie highlights the gloominess in Chidi’s soul which set the tone for the inciting incident.

The message of Man Down is that Christians should not shoot their wounded. We see this play out as Bola and her parents are disgraced in church. The hypocrisy of the leadership is apparent. What we do not see is grace from them even to Bola’s parents. The “sinful” and condemned Bola shows more grace than the pastor and his wife. 

In the end, there is resolution. Bola’s antagonists realize their errors. God makes all things beautiful for Bola and Chidi. 

The choice of music harmonizes very well with the plot points, further advancing the story. The end credit music clearly tells the audience that through our mistakes and pain, God is always with us. God’s grace keeps us strong. His mercy is relentless.

 Man Down is a must watch movie. 

Review by Joy Odafe