Run

I had never heard of Nollywood at all before this week, so it was really cool to learn more about it and get to watch the film Run. In the beginning when Tomilola was narrating her day, I was unsure whether I’d enjoy the movie or not. It felt oddly like a youtube vlog style video. However, as the film progressed I began to understand why the start was that way. I think they show Tomilola’s everyday life to express how normal and kind of boring it is. Like she herself says, nothing ever happens to her. Then everything falls apart over the course of one long night. The beginning is in stark contrast with the events and misfortunes that happen to Tomilola throughout the rest of the film. Beginning when she goes out on a run, she witnesses something she shouldn’t have and everything unravels from there, ensuing a series of unfortunate events. 

I really like the way it’s filmed, the majority of it being shot at night. The characters are surrounded in darkness, only lit up by the orange tinted street lights above them. This, along with it being filmed using a hand held camera, gives it a sort of raw aesthetic that really works. 

Throughout the film as Tomilola runs from one danger into another, we get to see little slices of life in Nigeria and get a sense of the city, Lagos. From the woman giving birth to the woman selling food on the street, we see specifically the life of domestic women. This is very different from how Tomilola lives, in her nice apartment complex and office job. 

It was frustrating to watch as Tomilola ran for her life, and not one person would help her. Even when she finally finds the police, whose actual job is to help her, and tells them what happened, they laugh in her face not believing that she witnessed Senator Okeke murder someone. 

I think the film did a good job of keeping suspense right until the very end, and it really was interesting to watch.