Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Small Axe: Education’ on Amazon Prime, Steve McQueen’s Portrait of a School System That Failed its Students

Steve McQueen’s Amazon Prime anthology Small Axe wraps with Education, the most autobiographical of the five films. As with the previous entries, it focuses on London’s West Indian culture; McQueen was raised in West London by Grenadian and Trinidadian parents, and this story is inspired by how Britain’s education system primed him, and other children like him, for working-class jobs while others were fast-tracked for university. You won’t be surprised to learn that such determinations were often made along racial lines.

SMALL AXE: EDUCATION: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Kingsley (Kenyah Sandy) dreams of being an astronaut. His eyes light up during an astronomy lesson; he draws pictures of rockets and planets. His teacher has the class read aloud excerpts from Of Mice and Men, and when it’s Kingsley’s turn, he struggles; the teacher makes a flippant comment and skips over him. Kingsley acts out in music class, and is booted from the room. The principal calls his mother, Agnes (Sharlene Whyte), and informs her that Kingsley will be sent to a “special school” because his IQ test results were below average. The tests are “adjudicated independently so we know it’s fair,” the principal insists. Uh huh. Should we believe that?

Agnes is furious, but directs her frustration at her son. She works cleaning homes and as a nurse. They live in a middle-class home. Kingsley’s father Esmond (Daniel Francis) works a trade — something that requires wearing a jumpsuit — and doesn’t seem to be home all that much. His older sister, Stephanie (Tamara Lawrance), is bright, shows an interest in fashion. The two boys Kingsley hangs out with tease him about going to “special school” — good riddance to the white kid, who casually tells him, “You can’t have a black man in space.” Kingsley goes home to his hostile, stressed, overworked mother. He feels very, very alone now.

The new school is… something else. It’s not all Black children, but there’s definitely more POC than in Kingsley’s previous school. The teachers are sullen and disengaged or outright AWOL. One little girl compulsively yips like a dog. The kids are sent outside for recess and their playground is a parking lot. Children scream and yell and chatter for hours without supervision. One day Kingsley makes a break for it and gets outside before he bumps into a visitor. Her name is Hazel (Naomi Ackie). She’s smiling, with a warm demeanor. He takes Hazel to his classroom, where the children are eager to sit still and listen to someone. She starts taking down their names before their teacher enters the room. Not long after, a woman knocks on the door. Agnes answers. The woman is there to tell Agnes what’s happening in Kingsley’s school — the same thing Kingsley tried, or maybe was too afraid, to tell her.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Education is the anti-Stand and Deliver. Compared to other Small Axe films, it’s not as subtextually rich, and maybe the least of the five. That doesn’t mean it’s bad — it’s like saying it’s the smallest nugget of gold you just panned from the river.

Performance Worth Watching: Kenyah Sandy is convincing and earnest playing a troubled kid (and extension/variation of McQueen as a child), and gives us a true sense of the character’s inner life. The young actor — who enjoys a small role in Netflix holiday musical Jingle Jangle — is another extraordinary find for McQueen, who’s elevating many talented newcomers (and overlooked character actors) with this series.

Memorable Dialogue: “I am Black, and I love being Black.” — Hazel

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: The teacher sits on the tabletop in front of the class, fumbling solemnly through House of the Rising Sun like someone who first picked up a guitar three months ago. The scene lasts the entire duration of the song, mirroring what McQueen did in Lovers Rock, but with the opposite effect. Trapped in this classroom hell, the kids squirm. So do we. It’s comedy. It’s tragedy. The guy really, really sucks. And this isn’t an education. It’s a waste of time, and sure seems purposefully so.

At home, Kingsley submerges himself in the bathtub, sinking further and further until just his nose and lips break the surface. McQueen holds on the shot until we worry that he might go completely under, drawing out the suspense. The kid is 12. He can’t read, the school system doesn’t care and his parents are too entrenched in their attempts to keep the rent paid and food on the table. It’s easier to just trust the school and assume the problem is with Kingsley. But activists, fellow Black people, who care and know the truth are driven to change things, even in the face of parents’ hostile skepticism. Kingsley is lucky he has parents who are willing to listen. Kingsley is lucky he’s in a hopeful story and not necessarily a heartbreaking one.

Those are the two scenes in which McQueen draws us in and cements his intent. Small Axe has been an omnibus of such stories, told with great clarity and purpose. He doesn’t sacrifice hope on the altar of despair. Nor does he varnish difficult truths — there’s a kicker in Education in which the gut-punchline is “Margaret Thatcher.” The people in this film did not end institutional racism. Things get better, things get worse. This is life.

Our Call: STREAM IT. And stream the other four wonderful Small Axe films, which accomplish what McQueen set out to do — tell stories from an underappreciated segment of British culture, and amplifying its voice.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com or follow him on Twitter: @johnserba.

Stream Small Axe: Education on Amazon Prime