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The human body in motion is one of the purest cinematic pleasures.
Too many modern directors forget the story a body can tell.
But a winding of the hips on the dance floor can disclose pleasure.
An outstretched hand can speak to the yearning for connection.
A supine repose can shine a light on untold confidence.
But his restaurant becomes a point of refuge and celebration for the West Indians of Notting Hill.
Altheia understands that its not just the group thats on trial.
This is something greater.
The case would have ripple effects long after for those seeking to demonstrate against systemic forces.
But before that, there is something magical.
He leaves the parlor and enters into the stark daylight of Londons streets.
The camera follows his relaxed but determined gait through the city.
This tip of McQueens hand exposes one of the great concerns of the film: class and racial solidarity.
Within the walls of Mangrove, food is a link, to culture and to community.
Lilting conversations and song fill the restaurants space; there is a beauty in just watching Black peoplebeing.
But this assured handling inevitably falls by the wayside.
Sincerity, of course, can only go so far.
Some of the performances dont work as well.
Wright has the right energy for her role but not the precision necessary to fully inhabit it.
But Spruells performance also reveals the trickiness of portraying racism on film.
Its ludicrous and horrifying, but set to film, it can often feel arch, too.
For the past eight months, I have been fervently, frequently, fantastically daydreaming.
Ive been daydreaming about trapezing into a crisp, velvet night full of the ecstasy of possibility.
Ive been daydreaming about the eternity held in a first kiss.
Perhaps this is whyLovers Rockthrilled me so.
Languid in rhythm and charged in style, it shirks heavy plot for mood.
It isnt so much what happens buthowit happens.
Thanks to McQueen and his collaborators, including cinematographer Shabier Kirchner,Lovers Rockunfurls and envelopes.
It is one of the most stunning evocations of the pleasure of a party Ive witnessed in film.
The lighting is like liquid amber.
The color palette is full of jewel tones that glint with gorgeous reverence against the mostly dark-skinned cast.
Im especially fond of the blood-red dress on birthday dame, Cynthia (Ellis George).
Theres an impressive shot near the very end, with the newly minted couple on Franklyns bicycle.
But we dont see the bicycle.
We only hear its familiar jangle of metal.
As the camera tracks the lovers, they look like how fresh love feels: theyre flying.
There are two pivotal moments when whiteness interrupts the pleasures ofLovers Rock.
But they are minor reminders of the concessions these characters must make.
McQueen has an eye and ear for the intimate details of Black life.
A friendly hand working a hot comb.
The prosaic grace of women cooking goat curry and ackee and saltfish.
The tender treatment of vinyl records interrupted only by the patois of the DJs voice.
The films soundtrack is full of bangers.
McQueens camera is loose and reverent, swooning between the bright faces and bodies of the cast.
It is, in a word, electric.
It would be easy to judgeMangrove,and evenLovers Rock,along the axes of authenticity and representation.
But those are limiting yardsticks for cinema and our understanding of Black identity.
MangroveandLovers Rockare available to stream on Prime Video.
The three remainingSmall Axefilms will be released in December.
