Welcome back! Ready to see where our journey across the Letterboxd Map is taking us next? Good, pack your bags and let’s go! This week we are heading to Nigeria for… Lionheart (2018).
Title: Lionheart
Director: Genevieve Nnaji
Released: September 8, 2018 (Canada – Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival)
Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes
Available to stream on: Netflix (United States)
Adaeze (Genevieve Nnaji) works as the head of Logistics at Lionheart, one of the premiere bus companies in all of Nigeria. Lionheart is a family-run business with Adaeze’s father, Chief Ernest Obiagu (Pete Edochie) serving as the head of the company.
When Chief Ernest falls ill, Adaeze believes that she is the next in line to run the show. She has the experience, she’s great with the drivers, the passengers, and the local gangs. If that wasn’t enough, she also just recently crushed a presentation that would lead to another lucrative contract for Lionheart.
However, Chief Ernest has other ideas and names his younger brother, Chief Godswill (Nkem Owoh) as the new head of all of Lionheart. The news is a gut punch to Adaeze, who believes that if she were a man, there is no way she would’ve been passed over for the position.
Putting her pride aside, she agrees to continue on as head of Logistics and work alongside her uncle. The two have their differences but manage to mostly work together as a cohesive unit. Though just as things are looking up, they find out that Chief Ernest over leveraged Lionheart in order to try and secure 100 new buses for a new contract.
Will Adaeze and Chief Godswill be able to continue to work together while also trying to save the family business from financial ruin?
Lionheart (2018) is a warmhearted look into both a family’s inner workings as well as the cultural challenges a woman can face in the corporate world.
Up until Chief Godswill is named the new head of Lionheart, Adaeze keeps getting second-guessed on every decision she makes. At the same time, she shows she’s not afraid to step into the community and listen to what Lionheart’s customers really want.
As for the family conflict, it was handled subtly. Obviously we know there is friction between family members. While it is a main plot point, it never becomes too heavy. Instead, we see that it is possible to put aside differences and work together for the greater good. Focusing on the positive outcomes keeps the film approachable for all ages.
The cast is great. For me, I’d say that Genevieve Nnaji and Nkem Owoh were the standouts. They had genuine chemistry together and I’d absolutely watch a movie following their characters and how they’ve continued the Lionheart business.
Overall, Lionheart (2018) is a breezy 90-minute watch that is full of heart. If you’re like me and had never heard of it before, it is most definitely worthy of at least one viewing.
So, have you seen Lionheart (2018)?
If you have, tell me your thoughts in the comments below or by reaching out on Bluesky!
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