Burning an Illusion

Made in 1981, the first feature by the pioneering Barbados-born British filmmaker Menelik Shabazz marked a coming-of-age for Black British cinema. This hard-edged, wholly absorbing romantic drama traces the emotional and political growth of a young Black woman in Thatcher-era London–viewers may recognize locations and styles from Steve McQueen’s 2020 period series SMALL AXE–charting her journey to emotional maturity, emancipation, and political awakening. Pat Williams (the luminous Cassie McFarlane) has a caring family, her own flat, and a job that she enjoys. She looks forward to settling down to a comfortable married life, but her dream is shattered when she meets Del (Victor Romero), a charming yet vaguely discontented toolmaker, who soon moves in and then loses his job, causing them both to reconsider their assumptions about each other and their aspirations.