NYFF 2020: Lovers Rock
nyff 2020Premiering at the 58th edition of the New York Film Festival, Lover’s Rock is the first major project to open at the festival and signals the return of Academy-Award winner Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave, Widows) to the screen, as well as introducing quite a few new faces into his world. The second instalment of Small Axe, a five film series focusing on West Indian culture of late 20th century London, Lover’s Rock follows Martha (Amarah-Jae St Aubyn) during a blues house party at the start of the 1980’s as she has a plethora of encounters throughout the course of that fateful night.
At its core, the film is one that is much more lighthearted and joyful compared to McQueen’s previous work. While many might appreciate McQueen’s change of pace, it unfortunately does result in Lover’s Rock losing some of the best qualities and patterns he has established and succeeded with in the past. Even the slowest of his previous films have had at least a semblance of urgency or depth, resulting in gripping narratives that left one engaged and feeling for the characters as they traversed their conflicts. However, the script lacks narrative focus and any urgency or gripping qualities are completely absent from the film. Many scenes are stretched out and feel incredibly tedious and repetitive, and considering the strange cinematic and episodic hybrid nature of this series, one could come to the conclusion that this almost seems like an under thirty minute screenplay that was forcefully stretched out to barely qualify as a feature length film.
Despite all that Lover’s Rock lacks in its script, it more than makes up for it with the sheer quality of its overall production value and the majority of its technical aspects, as well as its ultimate purpose. Steve McQueen shines in the director’s chair, somehow being able to bring out the magic in many scenes that, on paper, seem unnecessary. The way in which the camera tracks and captures the atmosphere of the central party creates an impactful and captivating atmosphere of warmth and community in the dances and interactions between everyone involved. Otherwise marginalised in the larger national community, they are able to feel at home in the party with a pleasing sense of comfort – one that McQueen manages to bring out with his directorial brilliance – and makes the audience yearn for pre-pandemic days where we all could go out and have as good of a time as the characters do in the film.
In fact, what makes the film so compelling, after all, is that human connection brought forth by relative newcomer Amarah-Jae St Aubyn, who shines in her first major role. A constant anchor throughout the film, even as it stylistically and tonally shifts, her performance is one that makes the whole screen light up as we follow her euphoric escape into a night of joy. While Lover’s Rock struggles to match the depth and urgency of McQueen’s previous work, once expectations are removed, it can clearly be seen as a welcome burst of joy in an otherwise dark and dreary world.