Small Axe Anthology (Steve McQueen): Lovers Rock

[Idioteque Stalker]

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[Pop Trash]

Quite good, although I'm perplexed by why this one is so much higher rated than the others by film critics (it just won Sight & Sounds "best film of 2020" critics poll). Reminds me a lot of a less white, less American, Dazed and Confused.

[Idioteque Stalker]

I don't love Steve McQueen enough to dive into five new movies without a little reconnaissance, so I jumped to what is (at least currently) the most acclaimed of the anthology. It's definitely a vibe, and the reggae/dub/funk music is the star of the show. McQueen is just strong enough with characterization that we more-or-less recognize who is who during the almost-wordless scenes of people dancing (which, by the way, take up about half the film and are its clear highlights), but he's not quite strong enough to keep the moments outside the party--the "human drama" moments--from coming across like mediocre tv. I liked it, but I'm not eagerly seeking out the rest.

[Ezee E]

This is a potential top of the year for me. I just loved everything about it.

Like any awesome party, there's great music, fun vibes, a little bit of drama, some bad singing, some sexiness, and it all feels just a little bit hazy.

Then you realize that work's around the corner and the family's not letting you hit the hay.

[Peng]

Has me totally in its grip by the time of two girls running to catch a bus to the party, which perfectly captures the feeling of illicit thrills in starting a long night out, and I'm floored by how McQueen finds the apt note to close the film out on, with reality starting to intrude but unable to wipe out the lingering vibe. In between is one big formalist swoon of a film, in which a group of people come together to carve out and enjoy a space free of everyday racial pressure/aggression (the aforementioned scene of two girls, in which they code-switch languages playfully with each other on the swing before, seems to signal a warm-up to enter that space). Not sure if this will be 2020's best for me, but it's probably the one film from this year I'll revisit the most. 8.5/10

[Rico]

Why was the DJ guys so interested in the cousin dude's dancing?

[Stay Puft]

A much more confident yay than Mangrove; this manages to do everything in that first episode with much more verve and nuance. It's a riveting document of a community, what is has, what it lacks, and what it's fighting and aching to achieve, expressed through the precarious sanctity of this temporary dance floor. I was having an out of body experience during the "Silly Games" sequence, I swear. That being said, the plot and characterization is pretty meager, to the point that parts of it seem wholly unnecessary. If McQueen had the confience to do something completely non-narrative, this could have been something incredible. As it is, still a pretty captivating hour.

[Stay Puft]

Why was the DJ guys so interested in the cousin dude's dancing?

He was bringing a different energy to the floor, an expression of the pain he brought through the front door; they recognized something that needed to be brought out, which directly leads to the "Kunta Kinta" sequence with the communal chanting of "Jah! Rastafari!" (This whole episode is dance as political metaphor.)

[Idioteque Stalker]

If McQueen had the confience to do something completely non-narrative, this could have been something incredible. As it is, still a pretty captivating hour.

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