A couple weeks back, I had the pleasure of hosting the inaugural In Reel Life Film Club, a collaboration between Film’s Cool, MmmM; a Dirty Magazine, and The Dojo Studios. When we began the planning process for it, we did so with the goal of building community through a monthly film club series that explores the depictions of healthy intimacy and sensuality, or lack of it, in Hollywood and international films.
Our theory was simple: Growing up, most people are not taught how to be intimate with a romantic partner. Some are fortunate to have an example of a healthy romantic relationship through their parents, other family members, or close acquaintances. But even then, children rarely know the true nature of those relationships. This dynamic forces us to learn by other means. Perhaps the most common way is through movies. The films we watch play a huge role in the behavior we exhibit, consciously or subconsciously. They can alter both how we show love to others and how we perceive the love we receive back.
The In Reel Life Film Club’s first movie was Lovers Rock, a 2020 film directed by Steve McQueen about two lovers who meet at a reggae house party. Critic Angelica Jade Bastién wrote this about the movie: “Undoubtedly one of the best movies of the year...a transfixing romance not just between the two characters at its center but one about the beauty of the human body, the succor of an energetic party, and the possibility in the hush of a night."
McQueen released Lovers Rock as part of a five-film series called Small Axe in 2020. Because the movies were released in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, they were not as well received by audiences as McQueen’s previous two movies: 12 Years a Slave, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2013, and Widows, starring household names: Viola Davis, Liam Neeson, and Daniel Kaluuya.
Lovers Rock follows Martha, played by Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn (The Silent Twins), on the night of a big party. At the party she meets Franklyn (played by Micheal Ward, Top Boy), a smooth talker who almost immediately gets her attention. The two dance the night away. It’s the perfect movie to start off our film club with because it represents the first step in finding a romantic partner. Anyone who has ever attended a house party or has gone out to a bar or club as a single person went out with the hopes that they would meet their soulmate. The performances and cinematography were top-notch and the movie’s soundtrack was just as essential to the film as its plot (listen here on Apple Music or Spotify).
The movie also shows a different level of intimacy, outside of the traditional definition. It’s set in West London in the 1980s and is about Jamaican immigrants learning to live in a foreign, hostile new place. These immigrants face threats and microaggressions every day and McQueen takes the opportunity to show it. But inside the party they feel safe. There’s one scene in the movie — you’ll know which one when you see it — that shows the partygoers completely in sync with one another, free to be their true selves. And the party ends with another scene where there is a more cathartic expression exhibited.
The audience of the first In Reel Life Film Club picked up on these themes as well as others that connected the movie to their own lives. One of the main themes was consent: How can men show consent in these setttings that is sensual but not sexual assault? What is the responsibility of the community when someone is in danger? Another film club member pointed out how McQueen and Shabier Kirchner, the film’s cinematographer, showed the hands of the partygoers to display the level of intimacy. The two also utilized close-up, tracking shots putting us as the viewers of the movie inside the party.
All night the conversation was robust and engaging; people were willing and eager to give their insight on the movie and on our theme. We had to eventually cut people off to get them home at a decent hour. It was amazing to see this community we built come together and I can’t wait until next month’s film club meeting.
If you attended, I’d love to hear your thoughts! If you didn’t, let me know if you plan on attending next month’s club!