Steve McQueen’s miniseries Small Axe has been making waves through the festival circuit and if Lovers Rock is any indication of quality, then it may well prove to be the cinematic event of the year. Commissioned by the BBC, this anthology series is comprised of five films telling different stories involving London’s West Indian community from the 1960s to the 1980s. The title is derived from an African proverb popular in the Caribbean: “If you are the big tree, we are the small axe,” and reflects the themes of political resistance, civil rights, and protest that lie at the series’ heart. This subject feels intensely of the moment for the United States, where a summer of nightmarish police brutality is being followed by an election where the President openly encourages violence from his white supremacist base to suppress the vote. In response to the horrific events of the summer, McQueen went as far as to put a point on it, dedicating Small Axe to: “George Floyd and all the other Black people that have been murdered, seen or unseen, because of who they are, in the US, UK and elsewhere.”

The title of this episode of Small Axe, Lovers Rock, refers to the less political and more romantic strain of London-based reggae which became popular in the 80s. Mirroring this shift away from the political, the film offers a respite from the explicit rights struggles covered by the series and instead is a swirling celebration of music and community. Yet, even in such a celebratory space, there’s a simmering undercurrent of tension and violence bubbling just below the surface. However, the focus here from McQueen and co-writer Courittia Newland, is a beautiful depiction of the ways that joy can still blossom bolstered by the resilience of community. The film largely takes place over a single night at a house party, and though we follow several characters at the outset, we eventually focus on Martha (Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn) who travels over to this party with her friend in search of dancing and romance.