Loneliness and Lovers Rock


Shaniqua Okwok and Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn in Steve McQueen’s “Lovers Rock”

Steve McQueen’s Lovers Rock, part of his Small Axe anthology (5 films depicting the life of West Indians in London) is a dreamy swoon of a movie. I’m not a huge Steve McQueen fan, but I am really digging what he’s doing with this series. Lovers Rock, for me, is the standout. I am in love with it. I point you to my friend Odie’s wonderful review over on Ebert. And here’s a great interview with McQueen about the movie, and the music in the movie.

I loved this one small sequence: Barry Bigg’s “Lonely Girl” is put on the turntable by the DJ in the corner, and the crowd goes into a trance of connection. There’s a sequence of shots showing men grasping women’s elbows, bringing them onto the dance floor, then women’s hands on their dance partners’ shoulders, or men’s hands on their dance partners’ waist/butt. It’s a gentle little montage of touch and mutual desire, which ends with the shot of Cynthia (Ellis George) – who has been so determined to have fun on her birthday – yet little things keep coming along and ruining it.

And so that little montage of hands and bodies – as I read it anyway – turns out to be from her POV, because that’s what it feels like when you’re at a party and everyone is dancing with someone except for you and/or that the person you want you can’t have. Everywhere you look people are connecting and touching … and you don’t get to participate. It’s so beautifully done. No explicit underlining, but every single shot and how it’s all put together represent very specific visual choices. A narrative of desire and disappointment.

Here’s the trailer. Lovers Rock is in my Top 10 for the year. It’s on Amazon.

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3 Responses to Loneliness and Lovers Rock

  1. Helena says:

    I cannot wait to see this.

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