Rocks: an ode to sorority and diversity

Using the scenery of London’s popular neighbourhoods, Sarah Gravon explores various narrative structures: siblinghood, gender education in school, parenting, different social environments. All of these support the central purpose of the film: solidarity and loyalty within friendships.

Rocks, who is remarkably interpreted by Bukky Bakray, is preparing for her new school year. The excitation of meeting with her friends soon vanishes when she realises her mother vacated the house. Only leaving behind a short letter and a bit of money, the teenager is now left on her own and has to embrace her new role as a mother and look after her younger brother, Emmanuel. Trying to escape the social services, she roams around from homes to hotel navigating through a painful and difficult experience flaking her innocence. This plot is used as a platform for Sarah Gravon to carefully and impartially review society’s social and cultural differences. Rocks ends up taking refuge at her best friend’s, Sumaya. Sumaya, who grew up in a Somalian and Muslim family, advises Rock to confine in an adult about her situation, but Rocks ignores the advice. When she goes to her friend Agnes’s place, who is from a traditional white family, Rocks is given the same advice but is still not ready to face social services. However on this occasion, her friend Agnes will reveal Rock’s situation to her parents.

Working with subtle variations, the director observes the differences amongst parental education and inculcated values based on the diversity of sociocultural backgrounds. The director points out how the experience of belonging to a teenage girls group varies according to one’s race but also through school, make-up and social media use. Gavron’s main argument lies in highlighting that the core of friendships resides in forgiveness and solidarity. With Rocks, Sarah Gavron signs off a movie in which joy and sadness grasp each other, an emotional dance which is brilliantly supported by over-the-shoulder shots and a talented cast. Rocks is an ode to sorority and diversity, unveiling itself on the canvas of a multicultural Londonian Hackney. It reveals heroines that are too rarely shown on the screen.

Rocks by Sarah Gavron

Release date: 18 September 2020