Small Axe

It has become more and more common for filmmakers to direct an entire season of a show by themselves, so what really makes this anthology show comprised of five films stand out is that Steve McQueen is an A-lister. And, of course, the high quality of the episodes/films, all of which are very well-acted. Here are my scores for each of them: a 75 for 'Mangrove', an 85 for 'Lovers Rock' (my favorite film of 2020), an 80 for 'Red, White and Blue', a 60 for 'Alex Wheatle' and a 70 for 'Education'.

come on, Criticker... y'all know this is five movies... anyways, score is average of the following: Mangrove (80); Lovers Rock (85); Red, White and Blue (70); Alex Wheatle (60); Education (70)

Mangrove and Lover's Rock alone make this the best movie of 2020 for me, though I know there's some issues with whether or not this counts as a film or TV series. It's a terrific look at the impact of racism and a celebration of Black love. Tough and demanding, but important and beautiful.

Average rating for each entry in the series.

Taken as a whole, this is masterful storytelling: absolute essential viewing for anyone interested in the 20th century history of London with a running theme of why there has been little trust in the police within the Black community.

Lover's rock was the only one I saw, but loved it

Mangrove (93); Lovers Rock (65), Red White Blue (73); Alex Wheatle (84), Education (84) Mangrove is a must watch and a powerhouse of performances, directing, and writing. The rest are very good but suffer from not being feature length films.

ALEX WHEATLE: 52 EDUCATION: 51 LOVERS ROCK: 54 MANGROVE: 61 RED, WHITE, & BLUE: 54