For the second of his Small Axe collection, Steve McQueen returns to his roots for a politically and racially charged look at the case of the Mangrove Nine in 1970s London with Mangrove.
If Lovers Rock was McQueen at his most soulful, Mangrove is the filmmaker at his most enraged. The first chapter of the filmmaker’s upcoming anthology tells the story of Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes)’s successful restaurant in Notting Hill, the Mangrove, which often acts as a hub for the local West Indian community. But the establishment finds itself under a lot of police scrutiny, as the law enforcement relentlessly raid the Mangrove on non-existent charges. When it finally gets too much for Crichlow, he teams with Black Panther Altheia Jones-Lecointe (Letitia Wright) to organise a peaceful protest. But it turns into a riot when the police arrive and start inciting violence upon the community, leading Crichlow, Jones-Lecointe, and several others to be put on trial at the Old Bailey.
What McQueen has crafted with Mangrove is not only one of the best films of the year, but a seething courtroom drama that will no doubt be regarded as one of the best in years to come. This is incendiary storytelling at its finest, constantly dialling the tension and emotion to what evolves into an enraging and explosive courtroom drama. But, before we get there, the first half offers a more delicate exploration of Crichlow’s restaurant and the people he serves – the Mangrove playing host to local activists and intellectuals. As it did in Lovers Rock, the camera dances around its subjects to celebrate the culture and community on display. Its passionate storytelling teeming with warmth. However, it’s not to last. It’s not even the point. And racial events start occurring one after the other and more frequently too; the tranquillity is disrupted with events of injustice and police brutality until it crescendoes with the protest-turned-riot around the halfway point.
Sadly, Mangrove feels more relevant now than ever – despite being set more than 50 years ago. In recent months, the Black Lives Matter movement has brought issues of racial injustice back into conversation after the horrific murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and several others to the hands of police officers. While we can hope that change is imminent, the events of Small Axe’s first episode show that there hasn’t been much progression in racial prejudice between 1970 and now – with the events in McQueen’s biopic feeling not too dissimilar to what we’ve seen happen earlier this year. That’s to say, it feels incredibly real. Tension and conflict are occurring in the foreground but there’s a great deal of texture and life permeating every scene thanks to how deftly written the script is. It’s authentic and pulled off with aplomb and that consideration for character and setting that McQueen is so notorious for. You feel part of this community.
Steve McQueen’s Mangrove is a deeply stirring piece of work, so phenomenal at what it does that it will evoke seething anger and emotion from its audience. It’s a blistering look at racial profiling and police brutality in 1970s London. As the verdict is given and the film wraps up its narrative, the rage still lingers because it was ultimately all for nothing. Crichlow was tormented for years after the case. Police brutality is still an issue in 2020. So where’s the victory? There’s something important about McQueen telling this story five decades on and ending it the way he does: there is no victory. Not really. Not when things have barely changed. This isn’t a movie so much as it is a stark reminder of the times. It’s handsomely-made and well-acted, of course. But it’s the fervent rage, passion and messages underpinning Mangrove that really ring true: this is utterly essential viewing.
Mangrove
Summary
Authentic and pulled off with aplomb, Mangrove is a deeply stirring piece of work, so phenomenal at what it does that it will evoke seething anger and emotion from its audience.
