McQueens latest poignant and powerful story of the Mangrove restaurant.
Mangrove (2020), Written & Directed By Steve McQueen, tells the true life story of the Mangrove restaurant , which doubled up as a community centre for many Black Londoners. With the ever growing police brutality and racial discrimination, Mangrove also became a site of resistance leading to the wrongful arrest for incitement to riot of nine local activists. Starring Letitia Wright, Shaun Parkes, Malachi Kirby, Rochenda Sandall and Jack Lowden to name but just a few. It is a powerful and poignant movie that couldn't be more relevant in the day and age we are living in.
Mangrove (2020) is part of director Steve McQueens anthology series called ‘Small Axe’, which is a collection of standalone movies about the black community/movement and is a celebration of all the achievements they have done over the past few years for social change. The story has remained relatively unknown, even in the UK.
Originally planned as a TV series, director Steve McQueen said, “Initially, I had conceived of it as a TV series, but as it developed, I realized these stories had to stand alone as original films yet at the same time be part of a collective”.
McQueen also said that “The anthology, anchored in the West Indian experience in London, is a celebration of all that that community has succeeded in achieving against the odds. To me, it is a love letter to Black resilience, triumph, hope, music, joy and love as well as to friendship and family. Oh, and let’s not forget about food too!”.
The film has an array of talented black actors and actresses that really bring the Mangrove story to it’s real, raw core. The trauma and harassment the Mangrove Nine were put through are all brought to life with powerful and emotional acting from Shaun Parkes (Frank Crichton), Malachi Kirby (Darius Howe), Letitia Wright (Altheis Jones), Rochenda Sandall (Barbara Beese) to name but a few.
Shaun Parks, who portrays Frank Crichlow says, “Any story that is truthful at this time to do with the human condition is more important now than possibly it’s ever been. Or, it’s more important to get these stories out now than ever before, because I’m not altogether too sure that people see the truth as much as they used to even 30-40 years ago.”
Letitia Wright, who plays leader of the British Black Panther Movement, AltheiaJones-LeCointe, says, “I think it’s really important that this story is being told today. I wish it had been done sooner, but God bless Steve for wanting to honor our elders. Their stories are now being told and brought to the forefront. As a young person, I didn’t know the majority of the things that we are speaking about in this project.”
Mangrove (2020) is a compelling and vital piece of black storytelling that couldn’t be more relevant today with some visually stunning cinematography and a powerful script.
Mangrove will air on BBC 1 in November in the UK.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5