Earlier in the week, the 2020 incarnation of the New York Film Festival got underway officially, with one part of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology, Lovers Rock, serving as the Opening Night Selection. Having seen it, the movie serves as both a strong start for NYFF this year, as well as a smaller and far less awards friendly selection. That’s not a bad thing, just noteworthy. The film is showcasing something far different than Oscar potential, and in a year like this one, that’s probably for the best. Still, it’s an interesting choice (arguably even more so now, having been seen) for the 58th New York Film Festival. For those unaware, here’s a bit about the film from the official festival description: “Lovers Rock tells a fictional story of young love and music at a blues party in the early 1980s. Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn makes her screen debut opposite the BAFTAs 2020 Rising Star award recipient Micheal Ward (Top Boy). Shaniqua Okwok (Boys), Kedar Williams-Stirling (Sex Education), Ellis George (Doctor Who), Alexander James-Blake (Top Boy), Kadeem Ramsay (Blue Story) also star, as well as Francis Lovehall and Daniel Francis-Swaby, who make their screen debuts. Lovers Rock was co-written by Courttia Newland and Steve McQueen.” Having seen the flick, I can attest to it being quite good, representing a unique but also universal look at young love and dance parties. Much of McQueen’s style is still evident here, just with a bit of a softer touch. Darkness looms nearby, sure to be addressed in the other parts of the Small Axe anthology (in fact, the other two installments playing at NYFF are far angrier and darker, tackling hatred and racism head on), but here, the focus is on music and romance, giving it a very specific vibe. In some ways, it’s not what you’d expect from the filmmaker at all, but in other ways, it definitely fits his particular aesthetic. As a reminder, in terms of the Opening Night, this spot has recently become a bit of a launching pad for Oscar contenders, with well over a half dozen Best Picture nominees in the lot over the prior 20 years (though admittedly, this title is smaller scale than most of these below). As proof, here is what the Opener of NYFF has looked like in the past, updated to include this pick: 2020 – Lovers Rock 2019 – The Irishman 2018 […]