The main draw of Emergency is its promising premise, the notion that best friends Sean and Kunle could be arrested at any point in their misadventure by the police, even though they are doing what they perceive to be the admirable thing.
These likeable college students find an unconscious, white girl in their home, lying in her own vomit. Fearing police brutality due to the color of their skin and the unfortunate situation, they decide to transport her to the nearest hospital to avoid arrest. Whilst journeying to the hospital, they are burdened with many setbacks and tracked down by the victim’s sister, Maddie, and two of her peers.
After much mayhem and with no other options at hand, the trio of Sean, Kunle, and Carlos drive towards the hospital, reverting to their initial plan. Their unconscious passenger, Emma, starts to sober up, though, and fears she has been kidnapped. She starts to scream uncontrollably and, in her panicked state, causes them to crash.
The stranger attacks the boys and then flees. She runs off into a pitch-black forest, and the college students search for her in the dark. Carlos is bleeding from his nose, disoriented, whilst his best friends Kunle and Sean argue over their predicament. Kunle wishes he’d phoned 911 in the first place, but Sean says they voted against that action.
The conversation moves on to their different social classes and upbringings. Then it is revealed that Carlos wasn’t actually invited to the parties, and Kunle had hidden the news from Sean about being accepted into Princeton. All three friends are at their lowest points.
Emma is found in a tree, and they return to the van. Maddie and her friends finally track down the crashed vehicle to this location. Maddie brandishes a stick and attacks them. She even draws a pepper spray, but accidentally sprays herself instead.
Rafael and Alice pretend to be the police, yet that disguise doesn’t fool anyone. Sean and Kunle try to explain the situation, but Maddie isn’t buying it. Rafael notices Carlos, and the fact that they are cousins seems to calm both parties. They are informed that the police are on their way, and Sean legs it, afraid he’ll be apprehended, ditching his friends to save his own back.
With Emma going cold in the van and her breathing slowing down, they decide to drive full throttle to the hospital, ignoring the pursuing police cars. Kunle even has to perform CPR during the high-speed chase. Although when they finally make it to the entrance, the police have them surrounded. Kunle is pinned to the ground with a gun pointed to his head, whilst the others are taken to one side, without any bodily contact or ill will aimed towards them.
The assault traumatizes Kunle, who begins to cry. The filmmakers highlight this injustice with a birds-eye-view shot of the crime scene, showing Kunle alone and surrounded. Later, they are let off with a warning, and Emma is presumed safe.
Kunle and Carlos head to the lab to check on Kunle’s thesis. They find Sean asleep next to the fridge, which Kunle had forgotten to lock, using his body to keep it closed. The two have a heart-to-heart and shed many tears. Sean says he’ll move to Princeton to live nearby and that he expects great things from Kunle.
Emma and Maddie apologize to Kunle and Carlos in person the next day. Emma thanked them for saving her life, and Maddie asked to read a speech she had prepared. Kunle, having had enough of the entire situation and her racist outbursts, slams the door in her face. He returns to the gathering, but can’t shake the trauma of his arrest. The police sirens whirring in his head. This final shot hammers home the impact of police discrimination. Kunle and Sean may have avoided arrest, but the whole scenario still has a lasting effect on the students.
