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Small Axe 8.0 2020 Show

Small Axe

Steve McQueen · United Kingdom, United States of America · English

Steve McQueen's magnum opus is this series of five movies on London's West Indian community

Our take by The Staff

This impressive body of work defies any classification: it’s a collection of five films that have been put together into a miniseries. Director Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) collected a timeless set of stories set from the ‘60s to ‘80s about London’s West Indian community and their struggle with rampant racism.

The first film, Mangrove, bears the name of the restaurant at the center of the story. As a sanctuary for the community, the restaurant quickly becomes the target of a racist police division that employs various tactics to disrupt  its popularity. The local chapter of the Black Panthers and its charismatic leader (played by Letitia Wright) get involved.

Mangrove and Lovers Rock, the next episode, were in the selection of the Cannes Film Festival that got canceled because of the pandemic.

What happens

An anthology series of five stories looking at the lives of a group of friends and their families in London’s West Indian community from the late 1960s to the early 80s.

What the critics said

Notable Critics

"McQueen wants to vanquish any idea that British racism is somehow more repressed and less violent than the American kind; he spotlights the myth of the country's politesse in order to do some smashing of his own."

— Doreen St. Felix

"Mangrove is a necessary and exhilarating illustration of the staying power of Black Britons."

— Rogan Graham

Awards

Cannes

1 nom

Nominated: Official Selection

Golden Globes

1 nom

Nominated: Best Television Motion Picture

BAFTA

1 nom

Nominated: Best Actor Television

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About the author

The Staff

The Staff is the editorial team at A Good Movie to Watch, contributing reviews, recommendations, and streaming guides across film and television. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, we track over 100 streaming services in the US. Founded in 2014 by Bilal Zouheir, the team is built around human curation rather than algorithmic recommendations.