6.763 minSeason 1 • Episode 5
LatestThe coming of age story of 12-year-old Kingsley, who has a fascination for astronauts and rockets. When Kingsley is pulled to the headmaster's office for being disruptive in class, he discovers he's being sent to a school for those with "special needs." Distracted by working two jobs, his parents are unaware of the unofficial segregation policy at play, preventing many Black children from receiving the education they deserve, until a group of West Indian women take matters into their own hands.
An anthology series of five stories looking at the lives of a group of friends and their families in London’s West Indian community from the late 1960s to the early 80s.
Direction
McQueen's patient, painterly eye on ordinary Black life.
Cinematography
Shaun Parkes' dancing silhouette in Lovers Rock.
Acting
John Boyega's volcanic restraint in Red, White and Blue.
Creator
Steve McQueen
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The title comes from a Bob Marley song—'If you are the big tree, we are the small axe'—a rallying cry for Jamaican resistance.
Mangrove was the first film with a Black director to open Cannes since 1986; McQueen shot all five during a single summer break.
GB
