‘Lovers Rock’ review; Dir. Steve McQueen (2020)

Steve McQueen debuts the first chapter of his five-part Small Axe anthology series for Amazon and the BBC: Lovers Rock. Set at a house party in 1980s London, the film documents a night of love and music in real-time for West Indian locals getting their blues on.

Considering that McQueen’s films have mostly grappled with sombre, heady subject matter (from 12 Years a Slave to Shame and Hunger), it’s somewhat refreshing that Lovers Rock has so much joie de vivre about it. Whether this will continue into the rest of the filmmaker’s anthology remains to be seen but it’s nice to see Steve McQueen revelling in the joy of his mise-en-scene here.

Martha (newcomer Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn) and her friend Patty (Shaniqua Okwok) sneak off to a party in Notting Hill where the good tunes are flowing and the people, all crammed in this tiny apartment, are connected through dance. As the night continues on, Martha and Patty are separated after some awkward encounters with pushy men but the former eventually attracts the attention of attractive stranger Franklyn (Micheal Ward) and the pair hit it off in this hive of reggae, love, and good vibes.

At only 68-minutes, Lovers Rock is caught between being a miniseries pilot and a full feature. It ebbs and flows like the former but has the mentality of the latter; as a result, it’s a cohesive whole with not a lot of substance. Despite its short runtime, McQueen and co-writer Courttia Newland don’t offer a lot in the way of plot and drama. In fact, about 50-minutes of the runtime is just dancing. There’s a kinetic energy to how McQueen captures the party; the camera lilts around the soulful setpiece so freely that you almost feel as though you’re in that room with those people yourself. McQueen is able to convey a great sense of atmosphere thanks to his jaunty direction, adding a real tactility to the environment – you can almost taste the booze and smell the sweat. But the minimalistic storytelling can struggle to keep the proceedings constantly involving.

Considering that Lovers Rock is primarily just a party captured on film, that energy and authenticity goes a long way in creating an immersive piece of work. It’s certainly an effective snapshot of Black Power and fervent life in 1980s London. That being said, the film can quite repetitive when it’s just constant dancing and no weight tying it all together for just over an hour. It’s a plotless movie that meanders around aimlessly after a while with no character or emotion driving it forwards. While McQueen does occasionally add scenes of dramatic intrigue, they don’t really amount to much and come and go all too quickly. In a way, Lovers Rock shares some DNA with Gaspar Noe’s Climax in that both films revolve around dancing; the thing that works in the favour of Climax is that there’s a sense of dread propelling the proceedings. Lovers Rock is charming and impressive but there’s only so far that can take you. As a result, it feels more like a cool party that is fun to attend for a while than a truly unforgettable night out.