The Thinking Machine #45

In their series The Thinking Machine, critics Cristina Álvarez López and Adrian Martin create a new video essay for De Filmkrant every month.

Steve McQueen’s Lovers Rock, the second part of his Small Axe series, has been a cinephilic revelation at the end of 2020. Conjuring a house party in 1980 for London’s black community, it wheels through many moods, interactions and sensations with great stylistic verve and freedom. Our audiovisual essay recalls what may well be prime influences on McQueen here: similar moments and motifs in films by Chantal Akerman and Claire Denis.