SC-S31/W1-Movie Magic |Movie About Choices (The Black Book)

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Sometime ago, my lecturer told my class that the mere decision not to make a choice is a choice itself. That statement made me reflect deeply for some seconds. Then, I realised something:

Life is all about choices and consequences. Every single day, we get to decide how we wish to live our lives. So whether you take an action or refuse to take an action, it counts as a choice as well. Each of these decisions attract consequences. It's our responsibility to decide what life is worth living and which one is not.

For this contest, I'd discuss the principal choice the protagonist made in the movie The Black Book (2023 Nigerian Film). It was his resolve to choose peace over violence, a rare trait in our modern world.

Movie	The Black Book (2023)
Director	Editi Effiong
Lead actor	Richard Mofe-Damijo
Release date	22 September 2023
Duration	2 hours 4 minutes
Languages	English, Nigerian Pidgin English
-	Available on Netflix

The Synopsis

The Black Book is about a preacher whose son was falsely accused by public officials and murdered. This man, who happens to be an ex-hitman and soldier, decides to take revenge. Not for his son's death, but for the false accusation. As the story unfolds, we see that he made a couple of choices in the past which attracted consequences that still lives on.

One choice stands out: His decision to choose peace over violence every chance he gets. He does this when:

1. He leaves the hitman association and surrenders a valuable possession to save a girl whose mother he had unjustly killed.
2. He refuses to kill the people who killed his son, including his friend who betrays him, but requests for a public apology instead.

Gallery

	The beginning
	His son's death
	The investigation
	Discovers his friend's betrayal

One Single Decision That Changed Everything

_{Spares the murderers}
The single decision of choosing peace over violence before and after the death of his son influenced the turnout of the plot. What would have ideally become a bloodbath was handled in a less confrontational manner by the one person who has every right to be upset. Usually, one would expect that the protagonist would return aura for aura — a life for a life or request for a pound of flesh like the merchant in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Instead he does the reverse.

_{Confronts the brain behind everything}
The preacher was right to seek justice for his son in a peaceful manner. Personally, I would not do anything differently. I understand that some life events are painful but I have learnt that there are better ways to resolve conflict without resorting to aggression or shading more blood. As a matter of fact, it is not my wish to find myself in a situation that demands revenge, but if life calls for it, I wouldn't murder anyone to feel justified.

Nothing justifies murder or violence against a fellow human. Murdering his killers wouldn't resuscitate the dead boy or clear his name either. The best thing to do demanding justice.

Sometimes, justice involves instructing the perpetrators of the crime to publicly admit their wrongs and live with the shame for the rest of their lives — that's if they'd survive the stigma and ostracisation.

You might wonder why I choose this stance. It's because nature rewards our efforts. Every single seed we sow, whether good or bad, will be reaped at the appropriate time. This has nothing to do with children or future generations reaping from the seeds their parents sowed. This has everything to do with the sower themselves.

I do not see anything wrong with the character’s choice to maintain peace. This is the way humanity should go. If the murders had chosen peace, I wouldn't be asking the question "Where is our humanity?" repeatedly after seeing the movie.

Do you have a contrary opinion? Looking at the ongoing wars in the world, can you say that there are certain forms of murder that's justifiable?

_{Thank you @bossj23 for the invite. I'd pass the gauntlet to @awordsmith, @shohana1 and @samsunnaharsuity. Screenshots are taken by me from the movie streaming app. Video available on Netflix Nigeria}