Small Axe - Lovers Rock (2020) Review

So I was wondering how exactly to review the Small Axe Anthology that is happening on BBC right now, but due to this being a collection of films I decided to review each film separately and give my thoughts on each one with its own merits. So I decided to start with the 2nd film in the series Lovers Rock and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees a house party take place in West London looking at different relationships between the people there. 

Main Character

Amarah-Jae St Aubyn is a completely new actress, this film is the first credit to her name and she is good here, she is easily the most likeable character here and the one we see the film through and she just wants to have a fun time at this party when things happen out if her control. Though I think, the whole idea of the film doesn't help, she isn't really given much in terms of development, the film just shows her at a party dealing with boys mainly and it didn't allow her to really flex any acting muscles, but a good start to her acting career. 

Supporting Characters 

The same can be said for the supporting cast, Micheal Ward plays the main supporting character Franklyn and he does a fine job, with most of his scenes coming with Aubyn and they have decent chemistry together. Though like all the cast, the supporting characters, though showing talent are given pretty much nothing to do and little development which does hold the film back. 

Story 

Lets be truly honest there is no story here to speak of, it is just a film that looks at a group of peoples lives, with a few scenes of discomfort but there is nothing to explain here and for me it hurt the film. You are never given a chance to learn anything about the characters, they are just random people and you do wonder for a bit why you should care and why you should really get invested in the characters in the film. 

Script

The script is functional, there is an okay amount of drama between the people, that could probably be expected for a party and a few chuckles but there is nothing memorable about this script and apart from one of two moments doesn't do enough to hit the levels. 

Style

The style is also okay, I must say in 2020 it is nice seeing a party of people enjoying themselves without worrying about a pandemic and there is some pretty cool amount of music. But this film is really slow in its pacing, it also shows some bad things like racism and rape, but barely looks at it, it could be looked at like that was the point, but it also made it feel a bit pointless and like why did they even bother with it. 

Overall

Overall, this for me was a below average film, with some talented performers, but nothing happens in this film. It doesn't really have much of a message or purpose, so I would say this is one you can skip. 

Rating - 4/10