NYFF 2020: Mangrove
nyff 2020
‘If you are a big tree, we are a small axe.’ is a West Indian proverb popularised by Bob Marley. Steve McQueen’s Small Axe takes this saying as the thesis of the anthology series, exploring the history of Black West Indians in the United Kingdom. Following the Second World War, there was a huge migration of Caribbean people to Britain in order to fulfil labour shortages, the first coming on the ship, Empire Windrush. These West Indian arrivals throughout the 1950s-1970s became known as the Windrush generation. Small Axe consists of five standalone films set out to explore their lives, history and struggles, starting with the first film, Mangrove.
Mangrove is a story of Black West Indian pride and Caribbean resistance. Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes) has recently opened a new restaurant serving staples such as cook-up, roti and goat curry, described by Frank simply as ‘spicy food for a particular palette’. His previous restaurant venture called The Rio was plagued with trouble so, in turn, Frank insists that the Mangrove will remain a fine institution. Nevertheless, Frank and his team soon get harassed by the local (white) police force who frequently raid the restaurant completely unprovoked. Not only do they harass the Mangrove staff, the constables also persecute the predominantly Black Notting Hill community.
Much of the Metropolitan Police’s actions throughout Mangrove showcase the underlying prejudices they hold making it easy to indoctrinate new officers into their racist ideology. PC Pulley (Sam Spruell) and his fellow officers freely tout off words like ‘savages’ and ‘black bastard’ in reference to the West Indian community. In harassing the Mangrove, he even insists that they should also be serving English food, despite being a West Indian restaurant. In their spades card game, it is a new officer that draws the ace of spades, the others howling at the chance to ‘nick the first black bastard you see.’ The new guy seems dismayed at first, yet still goes along with the violence. With the global Black Lives Matter movement, it’s clear that policing still has underlying racism and is a perfect system for bullies to exercise their aggression and hatred.
The Mangrove was also used as a hub for the local West Indian community, intended to be a safe space for Black intellectuals and activists to congregate together. This is what made the restaurant a target for prejudiced policing. Fed up with the constant unfounded police raids and targeted harassment, the Black community staged a 150-strong protest march from the Mangrove to the local police station yelling out, ‘Hands off Black people!’ Inspired by the Black Panther movement, they also shout, ‘Black power!’ through a megaphone, their first act of resistance. With threats of violence coming from the police, the clash leads to some of the protestors being arrested for inciting racial violence, becoming known as the Mangrove Nine.
With the arrests of the Mangrove Nine, the film shifts into a riveting courtroom drama. Here, racial prejudice continues to thrive in an institution that is meant to deliver blind justice. There are also wonderful cinematic shots here, utilising extreme close-ups and other techniques to instil the chaos, fear and hopelessness of the defendants. Some of the audience isn’t allowed to enter despite having a ticket. The defendants’ request for an all-Black jury is denied, despite the Magna Carta stating one should be tried by their peers, with the judge rejecting plenty of other reasonable requests. Pulley, thinking he can get away with it, is also seen giving signals to another officer on the stand and is luckily removed from the courtroom. The entire trial is plagued by racial prejudice, making it unnecessarily difficult for the West Indian defendants to properly plead their case. While the first half Mangrove focuses on Frank’s story, the courtroom is where some of the other members of the Mangrove Nine shine.
While most of the group is represented by a white barrister called Ian McDowell (Jack Lowden), McQueen and his screenwriting partner, Alastair Siddons chose to focus the courtroom scenes on Altheia Jones-LeCointe (Letitia Wright) and Darcus Howe (Malachi Kirby). Jones-LeCointe and Howe famously decided to defend themselves, a final act of Black rebellion against a white system – an act of self-determination. In Howe’s cross-examination of PC Pulley, Kirby is forceful, stern and calm as he tightly breaks down every misstep and contradiction in the police’s statements. When faced with a plea deal, Letitia Wright takes her time in the spotlight; she impassionedly pleads with the others that this fight is not just for them, but also for future generations of Black people. Finally, Shaun Parkes’ Frank shows a gentler side of himself as the verdicts are being read, trying to hold back tears that pour down his face.
It is not only in the characters’ actions that Black West Indian resistance is shown in Mangrove, it is also present throughout the film’s technical elements. The Mangrove restaurant is decorated in warm, lively colours. There are palm trees imprinted on the wallpaper and Caribbean trinkets on its shelves. The representation of their West Indian culture is a deep contrast to the grey concrete of the British courthouse or the proper uniforms of the Metropolitan Police. The West Indian accent is heavily present throughout the film, another act of rebellion in refusing to speak the Queen’s English. Even the Mangrove’s food itself is a resistance, creating a menu that is catered to West Indian people, in turn creating a community hub for Black people to freely express themselves. Caribbean dance and music fill a few joy-inducing scenes, showing the community dancing along to steel drums as they hold a street barbecue.
Steve McQueen’s Mangrove is an intimate look at the Black West Indian community, a community that rarely sees themselves depicted in popular culture. McQueen is the perfect person to tell the stories of Small Axe. Being of Grenadian and Trinidadian descent, he understands the intricacies of Caribbean culture – a melting pot of countless ethnicities, races and religions. McQueen and cinematographer, Shabier Kirchner create a beautiful depiction of the lives of West London’s Caribbean community, a group of folks wanting no trouble but always ready to fight, proudly defending themselves and their culture.