Lovers Rock

[alobear]

Lovers Rock is the second in the Small Axe anthology film series by Steve McQueen and takes place almost in real time over the course of one Saturday Night party in West London in 1980. The film largely follows Martha, who climbs out of her bedroom window to attend the party with her friend, Patty, but soon gets caught up in the atmosphere and the advances of Franklyn. It's an elegiac piece that's much more about capturing a specific moment in time than it is telling a linear or cohesive story. But it very successfully portrays the feeling of the event, with its layers of romance, occasional violence and pounding music. There are undertones that speak to the larger canvas of how certain communities fitted into London at the time, but it's mostly a celebration of youthful expression and the excitement and potential of new connections.