"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.
