Small Axe

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.

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.

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.

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 passion project had been oscillating listlessly in development for nearly a decade before it all finally came together. Five standalone films of varying lengths, collated together into what may or may not be a mini-series depending on your definition of these things. McQueen is not unsung by any means but these stories most certainly are - as a British person our history lessons at school start with castles, end with World War 2 and are extremely light on detail.

Both Mangrove & Red, White and Blue are just functional - quite linear and without adequate framing in the case of the latter but are alive with exceptional performances. In fact, every one of these is flawlessly cast and bristle with energy and character. My favourite by quite some way is "Lovers Rock" a near real-time slice of life at a party that is so evocative and so absorbing I was completely swept away by it. In these viral times it managed to distill the essence and manic energy of a wild house party and made me feel deep longing for that catharsis of it all. Both Wheatle and Education benefit from their shorter run times and are both deeply charismatic and touching. Throughout there is a real attention paid to costume, music, setting and it's done in such a magnificently textured and organic way you do feel like you're looking into the past.

It's been said that as of this year there is a new re-assessment of what is taught and in the surprisingly light closer "Education" I think there's somewhat of a meta recognition of this as well as through Robbie Gee's magnetic Simeon in Alex Wheatle. The past is the key to understanding the present, and a vital weapon in the arsenal of fighting for a better future. Small Axe has hopefully been seen by many and opened eyes. Britain really is this messy patchwork of mistakes and hardships, of awkward compromises and terrible injustices. However these impassioned creators coalesced here too, so there's some heart and hope in the wheezing lion yet.