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Series Review: Small Axe Episode 2 - Lovers Rock

Written by tha - bang from the blog Movies and Things with Thabang on 30 Nov 2020
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After Episode 1 of Small Axe, which was politically and historically charged, I went into Lovers Rock awaiting another politically charged agitprop but I got the opposite.

Instead I got a film about ordinary folks representing a moment in time, being carried by music and mood ... and it was lovely to watch.

Let's dig in...



Series creator Steve McQueen says Lovers Rock is inspired by his aunt's stories of "blues parties''.  It's about being a young lady having to sneak out to parties and come back home in time to wake up and go to church without the parents finding out.

Very relatable neh, we all have that one story.

What makes this special, which may not be everyone's cup of tea, is that Steve McQueen invests in the feeling and mood that is created by the music more than the dialogue.

40 to45 percent of the film is people singing along, people grinding on each other and folks being carried in a trance by the music.

Depending how you feel about the above paragraph, that will most definitely determine if you dig the film or not.

The story is there. Martha (Amarah-Jae St.Aubyn) goes off to a house party, which were called blues parties. They were common in the 50s to 70s within the Caribbean community.

Folks would empty out a house, cook a great meal, put up a great sound system and make folks pay to come in.




At the party she meets Franklyn (Michael Ward) who wears the coolest silk shirt ever, and you follow her and Michael's night intercut with a rapey dude in a red shirt (there always has to be one unfortunately) and the crowd of reggae and ska loving house partiers.

This is one of those films where it's not about the plot, the dialogue or the action... it about the "riddim" and the mood and effect it has on the guys in the house.

There are points were the line is totally blurred between observing actors dance out a scene with actors totally being in the moment.




Kudos to Steve McQueen and his team for letting those long takes run because if you ride it, you actually enjoy the trance that's on screen.

If you've ever been caught up in a trance either at church, club or dance hall... when the film hits those moments you really appreciate the commitment of the actors. They're able to recreate a moment in history for us the viewers to observe... uninterrupted... uninhibited... unashamed.




Yes, the film does touch on some of the themes of migrant life; white neighbours being a threat, the fear of coppers busting up the party but it's one episode where black folks are let to be and have an outlet and it is great to observe.

I do know it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea but it is great filmmaking and I'm glad we get to see it on the small screen.

It felt like: the black version of Nirvana's It Smells Like Teen Spirit music video. "Atmospheric" does not do justice to the film. 

Rating ****
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* trash **you are on your own ***it tries ****Almost Perfect *****Instant Classic



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Thabang Phetla loves movies,
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