Education continues—and closes—the larger project of Steve McQueen’s five-film Small Axe anthology: to chronicle the political enlightenment (essentially, the education) of particular people within London’s Caribbean community. From the restaurant owner of Mangrove to the frustrated police reformer of Red, White and Blue to the aspiring DJ of Alex Wheatle, these films have focused on characters who come up against the cruel wall of systemic racism in late 20th-century England—and respond with inspired activism. (Lovers Rock, the second installment, offers a comparative oasis, albeit one tempered by harsh reality in its final moments.) Education makes this project literal, focusing on a young boy, Kingsley (Kenyah Sandy), whose difficulty reading gets him sent to a school for the “educationally subnormal,” which is essentially an institutionalized way to ghettoize those from immigrant backgrounds. Sandy is heartbreaking in the lead role, as his face registers surprise, then betrayal at the way the adults in his life—including, at times, his parents—fail him. It’s a rough watch, but ultimately the film finds hope in its title: a supplemental school that’s held on Saturdays and run by volunteer teachers of color. There Kingsley not only learns to read, but also something that will serve him just as well in the years ahead: Black pride.
