- Starring
- Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn, Micheal Ward, Shaniqua Okwok
- Writers
- Steve McQueen, Courttia Newland
- Director
- Steve McQueen
- Rating
- n/a
- Running Time
- 68 minutes
- Release Date
- November 27th, 2020 (Amazon Prime Video)
Overall Score
Rating Summary
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Lovers Rock serves as the second part of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe film anthology series. This installment nominally follows a woman named Martha (St. Aubyn) who attends a house party where she becomes entranced by a mysterious stranger named Franklyn (Ward). That’s about it as very little actually happens. People sing and dance. Occasionally, a small bit of dialogue occurs. The most substantive scenes involve an argument between Martha and her cousin and Martha breaking up a rape outside the party.
Unfortunately, viewers will learn next to nothing about these characters while there isn’t much of a story to speak of. The entire film essentially is just a swirling mix of music and dance. This alone may be enough for some, personally speaking, it wasn’t here. In the end, Lovers Rock would better be described as an hour long music video. As a result, one can’t help but be immensely disappointed. Sure, the music was enjoyable, the costumes are beautifully vibrant, the camera glides around the dance floor like an angel, and it’s really nice to see a story of pure Black jubilation. However, when this was merely in service to a non-existent plot with little in the way of developed characters, it is hard to be entertained.
Films capture audiences with stories and characters above all else. Maybe this installment will be better viewed as part of the complete anthology though as a stand-alone experience, Lovers Rock will is sure to leave many viewers bored and frustrated. While some points are earned due to its technical merits, that’s about it. Some of us need more than music, dancing, and maybe the occasional 30 seconds of dialogue.
still courtesy of BBC
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