TV Review - Small Axe: Lovers Rock

This is the second episode or installment in the series by Steve McQueen (Widows and 12 Years a Slave). These films air like TV episodes on Sundays on BBC One in the UK. All the films take place in the past, either the 1960's, 70's and 80's, and they all focus on the West Indian or Afro-Caribbean community of London, England. Most of McQueen's series is docudrama where he's actually dramatizing real-life events or historical stories that have been well-documented. This one is different because it's not based on a true story per se. Yet, what happens in this film is probably stuff that has happened in real-life in certain places in London in the late 70's and early 80's, but it's not about telling a specific story. In fact, there isn't really a story at all. It's more of a mood piece than a narrative. It's about crafting an atmosphere than engaging with a plot.

Such that it is, the plot centers on two teenage black girls who go to a dance at someone's house. One of the girls meets a boy. They hang out. Some issues arise but by the end, the girl goes home. The majority of the sequences involve a crowd of people moving on the dance-floor. There are some things that happen in between, but large chunks are just watching people gyrate and grind against each other, while a DJ plays music of the time. There's arguably a variety of music that's played, but the majority of the music belongs to a genre known as "lovers rock," which is a form of reggae, but that's not all. The music here is pop and disco and a bit of variety, but mostly artists who are of the same race or ethnicity of the Afro-Caribbean people in attendance.

Amarah-Jae  St. Aubyn, in her debut, plays Martha, one of the teenage black girls who attends this dance. She goes there with her best friend, but her best friend ends up ditching her. She's by herself for a bit before she's approached by a black teenage boy who takes a fancy to her. She has to decide if she's going to hang out with him and give him the time of day. A few issues or incidents occur during the dance that push them together or prompts the boy to be there for her.

Micheal Ward (The Old Guard and Blue Story) co-stars as Franklyn, the black teenage boy who takes a fancy to Martha. When the issues or incidents arise that threaten Martha, Franklyn steps up to help or protect her. He's strong and confident. Yet, when he approaches her, it could come across as a bit lecherous or predatory. He does become protective of her in a way that eschews that and makes him seem more chivalrous. Other than these impressions, we don't get any more information about him.

We don't get any more information about Martha either. Aside from the dance being crashed by a relative of Martha, namely her cousin, we don't get more back-story. It's more difficult for us to care or to attach ourselves to either of them. However, these bare bones characters and scenarios aren't the point here. McQueen's point is to spotlight people grooving to this music. We get songs like "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas, a Jamaican singer. We also get "Silly Games" by Janet Kay, which becomes this film's centerpiece. Janet Kay was voted one of 100 Great Black Britons and this film indicates why. The community really loves her song.

I will say that it's good song, but in the course of this film, it's depiction goes on for way too long. Its extended depiction makes its point fairly quickly. McQueen keeps it going to the point where it feels like it's being dragged out. I understand that it's meant to be an expression of black joy and celebration of black culture in an unfiltered or unadulterated way. However, the DJ cuts the music and the crowd in this film sing the song "Silly Games" a capella. The people there aren't a well-trained choir singing on pitch together. It's raw and at times a bit off. If they were, then it could be a bit more tolerable, but it's not. If one wants a group of people at a dance in someone's residence, go check out House Party (1990), starring Kid 'n Play.

Rated TV-MA.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 10 mins.

Available on Amazon Prime.