'Alex Wheatle' is the latest revelation from Steve McQueen’s 'Small Axe'

In most biopics, filmmakers offer their audience a sweeping bird’s-eye view of the life of a historical figure. These films chronicle the person’s childhood and any trials or tribulations they may have faced before ending in a typical flourish of the subject’s successes and triumphs. In Alex Wheatle, the fourth film in the Small Axe anthology, which follows London’s West Indian community from the 1960s into the 1980s, Steve McQueen offers something different. The British-born filmmaker presents a snapshot of the life of a young man who was never meant to rise above his circumstances.

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'Mangrove' Will Leave You Enraged, but That's the Point

Like Lover’s Rock, Mangrove, the first film chronologically in Steve McQueen‘s Small Axe series, begins with a song. Based on a true story, the film opens in 1968. We meet Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes), a self-assured Black man who smokes and plays card games in a vibrant room with other men. The liveliness and color he’s initially surrounded with fade into a muted neutral color as he descends up into London’s streets and walks forward into the community of Notting Hill.

Frank is on a mission. Having closed his previous establishment that appeared to be a catch-all of questionable activity, including numbers running and a meeting place for alleged criminals, he’s ready to open his Mangrove restaurant. A Trinidadian-born Londoner, Frank is proud to serve dishes and deliver ambiance so near and dear to him. 

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