We’re at film 4 of 5 of the Small Axe Anthology. I was hoping to be on the ground floor for a version of The Three Colors Trilogy, so thanks Steve McQueen for reminding me how exciting a movie anthology can be if its special. Alex Wheatle is destined to be the forgotten axe, but it has moments of brilliance scattered about its story that make it at least worth one viewing.
Wheatle is a real life novelist, but McQueen’s movie about him is about how he landed on that profession. Movie Wheatle (Sheyi Cole) is stuck in prison, with a weak stomached bunkmate, Simeon (Robbie Gee). From our prison setting we drift back in time to see how Alex ended up there, from his early life to his eventual move to London suburb, Brixton. There, he befriends Dennis (Jonathan Jules) who shows him the ropes in his new surroundings, just in time for the community ready to bubble over and rise up from years of oppression.
Not all biopics have to be sprawling Malcolm X epics. Sometimes focusing in on a period of time can make a story fit together better, which Alex Wheatle tries. McQueen unfurls Wheatle’s life like an onion, painting a portrait of a man out of society. Bullied in his foster home and high school, Alex never grew up around people like him, missing those foundational bonding years that help him understand and connect with others. So when he arrives in Brixton, it takes months to grow friends, because everyone thinks he’s a narc due to a different upbringing. You can see layers of frustration and anger building inside of Alex during this time, just trying to figure out who he is and getting little help doing so. These worlds of experiences give him perspective, but also uncertainty, as he has no idea who he is or what he cares about. That uncertainty lets the systems in place beat down on Alex, whether it be police, a Rastafarian bunkmate, or covers at music clubs he likes. McQueen does a great job tying Alex’s past to his present, adding to the ever growing perspective of an aspiring artist who needs to figure out what his art is.
The 2nd half of Alex’s story then takes a hard pivot, as he becomes more sure of who he is. The movie leaves Alex’s story to tell the audience about a racially inspired fire that happened across town (McQueen could have done this differently; it grinds the movie to a halt for a hot sec), that the police elected not to investigate. That fire lit something in the Brixton population, forcing them to rise up to defend the deceased, leading to riots in the street. The mild story unmooring by McQueen quickly snaps back into place in time for the riots to begin, which Alex finds a perfect release for that pent up frustration inside of him. Not just protesting in the streets, but in song, as he starts writing lyrics to tell everyone how frustrated he is. In that, Alex finds his way to connect with others, lighting a fire under him, which Simeon helps provide further focus between pooping sessions in prison. So by the time Alex is released from prison, he’s found his purpose, his identity, and an outlet for his anger. Even though it must have been a struggle for Alex, nothing for him would top those early life tribulations that propel him forward now.
With one more film to go, I’m excited to see how Steve McQueen will land this wonderful ship he’s taken off. In year where everything feels grounded Small Axe flies, with Alex Wheatle helping write the in flight magazines and entertainment, soundtracked by Lovers Rock, and covered in a Red White and Blue paint job, served food by the Mangrove. Now THAT’s an airline I can get behind!