In 1981, minority communities across England took to the streets to protest police brutality, institutional racism, and unemployment. Burning an Illusion was released in the midst of this turbulent era and was only the second black-directed film to be made in the country at the time. It’s the story of Pat (Cassie McFarlane), a young Londoner of West Indian extraction, who wants nothing more than to settle down and live the British dream. She has a good job, her own flat—she just needs the man. Enter Del (Victor Romero Evans), a recent immigrant struggling to adjust to his new life. Illusion isn’t overtly political—at its core, it’s a tale of love and ambition—but it has a subtle undercurrent of a political, cultural, and feminist awakening all set to a soundtrack featuring Lovers Rock (reggae for the lover in you).