In Blood Vessel, in an attempt to escape Nembe, six people come together on a ship where their fates are tested. The movie is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Nembe has been struggling since the arrival of the Axis Oil Company, which ruined their environment by polluting lands and poisoning waters. The community of Nembe, especially the youth, is fighting back.
In this fight, two men, Boma and Degbe, accidentally kill a soldier, and the hunt for the two of them begins.
Meanwhile, a couple, Oyinbrakemi, also known as Oyin, and Abbey, are running away from Oyin’s father, who doesn’t approve of their marriage.
Oyin is pregnant, and Oyin’s father is looking for Abbey. Lastly, two brothers, Olotu and Tekena, are preparing to go abroad.
When the soldiers come hunting for Boma and Degbe, Olotu, Tekena, Oyin, and Abbey find themselves on the run. They end up with Boma and Degbe, and the group has no option but to work together.
Oyin’s father tells the soldiers that Abbey is the leader of the uprising. If he is taken out, the uprising ends. Abbey’s mother sends her daughter to Abbey with some money. Abbey is told to leave the town because there is a trap laid for him in Nembe.
Olotu and Tekena let Oyin, Abbey, Boma, and Degbe join them on their journey. A man named Mr. Perekemi, also known as Mr. P, will help them board the ship he works on and offer a passage to go abroad.
Mr. P is hesitant, but with money in his hands, he lets everyone onto the ship and hides them in a bunker. The group won’t leave the place until the ship reaches its destination, and Mr. P tells them to. Mr. P will bring them food once a day.
Unfortunately, Mr. P suffers from a minor heart attack and is sent home by the ship’s owner, Igor, who is transporting stolen crude. The group is left on their own. While they are all together, several of their fears come to light.
It is revealed that Oyin’s parents asked the river goddess for Oyin when they failed to have a child. Oyin is betrothed to a water spirit. Hence, she can’t get married or have a child, or else she will die. Degbe, on the other hand, is still haunted by the death of the soldier he accidentally killed.
With Mr. P not visiting, the group eventually turns hungry. Degbe dares to leave the bunker and look for food. The attempt gets him caught. When Degbe doesn’t return, Abbey volunteers to go out as well. Oyin has a fever, and she needs medicines.
While Abbey is out, Degbe reveals to Igor where the other people are. Igor honestly asks them who they are and what they are doing on his ship. Olotu tells him that Mr. P gave them access to the ship.
Igor calls Mr. P for confirmation. A scared Mr. P denies doing any of this. Suspecting that all of these are spies, Igor kills Degbe and takes everyone else hostage.
In Ponta Preta Bay, Cape Verde, Igor’s ship is inspected and his hostages are found, but Igor pays the authorities to let this pass. Boma takes charge of the situation and holds Igor’s sister at knifepoint.
The confrontation ends with Boma killing Igor’s sister, even though he didn’t want to. Boma becomes Igor’s next victim. Igor is into skinning meat. He kills Boma and places his body in a room where he skins his meat.
Igor orders his soldiers to find the other rats if there are more. They next take care of Olotu and Tekena, while Abbey tries to find a way to save everyone.
Blood Vessel ending explained in detail:
Do Olotu and Tekena die?
Igor hands Olotu and Tekena knives and asks them to fight and kill the other person. Igor promises to free the winner. Olotu does not want to fight his brother, but Tekena wants to survive.
More importantly, Tekena hates his brother because he was always seen as a bad child in comparison to his brother. The hate doesn’t consume Tekena. He fails to have the courage to kill his brother.
The two reconcile. To save his brother, Olotu asks Igor to keep his promise, and he proceeds to kill himself. A disappointed Igor shoots in Tekena’s leg and pushes Tekena off the ship. It is later revealed that Tekena has survived.
Do Abbey and Oyin survive?
Abbey keeps dodging and killing Igor’s soldiers silently. Igor and his crew eventually discover that there is another rat on the ship. After rescuing the ship’s original captain, Abbey hears Igor’s announcement.
If Abbey doesn’t show up in 10 seconds, Igor will kill Oyin. Abbey is forced to come out. Even after the surrender, Igor shoots Oyin in the head in front of Abbey.
Abbey is taken to the room where Igor skins meat by one of Igor’s soldiers. Boma, with the last bit of energy that he has, saves Abbey and motivates him to fight back before dying.
Abbey kills a few more of Igor’s soldiers before being found by Igor. He remembers the curse that said Oyin would die if she married or had a child.
Abbey also remembers the story of their people that Oyin told them about. Their people chose to jump into the sea over becoming slaves to the white men.
Abbey sings the song that these people sang. That song and the memories of the people who have died with him give him the courage to fight back and kill Igor.
Why does Abbey return to Nemba?
Abbey and the ship’s original captain get rid of the bodies. They also discover all the money that Igor has. Abbey returns to Nemba with all of that money and gives it to the families of Boma, Degbe, Olotu, Tekena, and Oyin.
To Abbey’s surprise, Tekena survived in the sea and returned home. Unfortunately, he lost one of his legs. Oyin’s father struggles to handle his daughter’s death.
Abbey leaves for Lagos. Once he is away, Oyin’s father comes looking for Abbey with a gun. It is not revealed whether he finds Abbey or if he shoots whoever is in his sight.