Small Axe, which was made by the BBC but will be seen in the U.S. on Amazon, recounts the lives and trials of London’s West Indian immigrants from the late ’60s to the early ’80s. It kicks off with a landmark incident in Black British history: the case of the Mangrove Nine, who were charged with inciting a riot while protesting police violence and the specific targeting of restaurants and bars.

directed & written by Steve McQueen
6 episodes

they gonna let this guy make something that isn't politically heavy handed anymore or?

Have you seen his visual art, this is obviously what he’s invested in making

corny that he just profiting off of black trauma now

He could be making anything he wants but hes just doing what almost every black filmmaker doing right now: making black trauma films for white liberals

in

I mean if you don’t want to watch it cool. But as a jamaican-american with british cousins this is what im interested in seeing. I aint afraid or ashamed abt the struggle and i do want to see it portrayed with pride and skill.

Black people dont all feel the same way. I aint gon tell you how to feel but it feels a lil backwards for you to tell another black man that his passion for his history is to service white liberals.

I guess you can prefer shame or rather it be about whites like hunger but this is what the man cares about let him have his autonomy.

all I'm saying is he knows what hes doing, along with most black filmmakers in Hollywood. They know black trauma is profitable because the core audience is white liberals. I think McQueen felt extremely insulted when he was told he makes films for white people with Hunger and Shame that he now thinks he is truly a black filmmaker by doing these kinds of films. But the truth is, the main people watching and praising his films are still just white liberals.

I thought 12 Years a Slave was a strong movie and Widows had its moments, but its over-insistence on falling back on black trauma (using police violence in such an edgy and insensitive way to make us feel empathy for a character for one example) highly ruined the film. And its sad that even after those 2 films he feels the need to continue appealing to whites in such a stereotypical way right now.

“using police violence in such an edgy and insensitive way to make us feel empathy for a character for one example”

Shut up, c**

I get what you’re saying. My point isnt that you have to be down with his aesthetic but at least give it to him and not the yts.

If you watch his video work its heavily focused on race and is pretty intense and in your face. Visual art and esp in the 90s where he was gettin his bones is arguably more white and liberal than even the film industry is today. If you wanna argue he only became as popular as he is because he foregrounded race, you have evidence.

Still he has skill and even if you are cynical i dont think you get where he is by simply placating to white people and not having your own passion.

I mean he had that black imposter show at hbo that didnt go through bc of differences with him and hbo, im presuming, so he cant be all the way on they d***.

On the other hand, i do think there is a streamlined black aesthetic rn in films that feels a lil commercialized i agree. I do think that the film industry is about trends and even if not all the films are good more black people are getting shots at budgets which will hopefully lead to more offerings in the future.

All in all, i get you. I aint on you for side eyein a nigga but at least give that nigga all the credit for what you side eyein him for.

not white

try again

like steve and letitia, IM IN

I know but that post reeks of cac, dinesh d'souza

I’m rooting for everybody black and always will. Y’all be thinking a little too deep on this s*** sometimes.

dam what happened to this thread

Love, love, LOVE Letitia Wright.

widows and shame are amazing so in for this. i heard somewhere that each episode is its own movie? idk if thats true. or maybe each episode has the running time of a movie

his first two films are incredibly traumatic as well and include white leads, trauma is a mcqueen staple at this point, i dont know what heavy handed political statement YOU'RE trying to make

Ignore that moron

Probably the latter

You might as well be

"you're not black" biden type energy from you

mangrove incredible, a must see.