Small Axe

Few early movies for people who like this title would be "Pressure (1976)" and "Babylon (1980)". Its a bit of a time machine, will transport alot of Londoners back in time.

The most unique achievement from a filmmaker in recentimes. Steven Mcqueen has released five films(directed by him) over consecutive weeks last year concerning the struggles of the co-existence of the West-Indian community in London over a certain period of time.

All of the five films deals with a same theme but the treatment is different for every one of them. Each film has a unique story to tell and Mcqueen has done an incredible job in directing them with equal precision and importance.

A tale of police brutality,a tale of biased school system,alienation within own society,a story full of vibrance and life;Small Axe is nothing short of a spectacular achievement.

Small Axe gives a long overdue glimpse into the Black West Indian experience and civil rights transformation in the UK. The overt injustice and micro aggressions faced by black immigrants and their first generation children are very relevant to the racial dynamics that persist today. I felt proud to hear and see our stories portrayed and hope more story tellers continue to make films like these. To know where we are going we must know where we come from. Small Axe should be shown in schools and discussed.

Steve McQueen's most famous work is perhaps 'Twelve Years a Slave', which I found a rather ordinary maintstream movie distinguished only by itsubject matter. His other films, however, are generally outstanding, and with 'Small Axe', he has crafted a heatfelt, emotional and compelling series of stories about the black experience in Britain. He's good at the set piece scences such as court cases, but above all else, he's brilliant at conveying the psychology of lives lived in an environment of systematic racism. As a white Briton, I might wish that these stories weren't true, or that they could be wholly consigned to the past; but it's important that they're told, and they provide some perspective on the 'Black Lives Matter' movement and why it animated so many in the UK even though we don't have the same level of police killings as there are in the US. But even judged as pure drama, this is excellent stuff.

"Small Axe" is an emotional roller coaster that brings the audience to difficult times, when racism was frightening and black people did not have any rights, limited in their ghettos. All this with the consensus of the authorities that committed abuses of power. A time of social frictions and protests from the Jamaican immigrants in UK that were just requesting equality. Steve McQueen told stories of cultural clashes, rage and disappointments, but also of serenity within the black community, of personal growth and acceptance.

Most of the episodes are beautiful, the different plots are well written, the acting is absolutely on point. My favorites were "Mangrove" and "Red, White and Blue". The first episode deserves a standing ovation. In its two hours, it explains in a detailed way the story of the Nine of Mangrove that led the protest of Notting Hill in the 70's. This was a response to the random unauthorized and unlawful frequent police searches in a local restaurant. I think that the director reported the facts without really taking any side, which is commendable. The third movie tells about a young man named Leroy Logan that truly wants to change the crooked police system from the inside out, by becoming a constable. It is a different kind of protest, maybe more thought out, but also way more difficult to handle because it requires more time and patience. This episode really made me uneasy because everything is seen from the perspective of Logan, who has to deal with tons of unethical and shameful situations in a professional environment. You can understand his frustration, and you root for him, hoping to get one day his personal victory. "Alex Wheatle" and "Education" are pieces of fine cinema, but did not really impress me. The quality is there, but the story did not really get me that much. "Lovers Rock" is an experiment: the plot is minimal, almost non-existent. There are fewer characters compared to the other episodes. Creators played a lot with music, strange sounds and peculiar shots, but to me it was very boring and pointless. As this is an anthology, I would simply skip this one and focus on the remaining four.

Steve McQueen delights us with his close-ups and amazing photography, reminding us that this is first of all a show about normal and real people that suffered and made tons of sacrifices, in order to fight until the end for what they considered right. The cast was very professional: I loved the Jamaican accent which in my perspective was well made by all the actors. Overall, this Steve McQueen project for me was mostly a success, that encountered a few minor issues along the way, but definitely worth my time.