Black Screen is a semi-regular casual meet-up, providing a showcase for films engaged with the experiences of black characters, often selecting independent pictures which only receive limited releases.

This month's choice was Debbie Tucker Green’s Second Coming, a claustrophobic examination of a few months in the lives of a London family, screened at Magdalen Road’s Pegasus Theatre. Although it hinges on the apparently immaculate pregnancy of protagonist Jax (Nadine Marshall), Second Coming is much more concerned with kitchen-sink realism than religious or philosophical debate. The languid opening act demands a patient audience as it takes its time to establish and convey the mundane routines of Jax, her husband Mark (Idris Elba), and their young son (Kai Francis Lewis – one to watch). Despite the clear religious resonance of the title, Tucker Green’s film is curiously free of any other explicit biblical references, though there are plenty of subtler ones that can be – and were – extrapolated. Between fly-on-the-wall mealtimes and arguments, all shot in a manner that emphasises and adheres to the close confines of a family home, more abstract and experimental scenes incorporate imagery suggestive of Eden, baptism, and crucifixion.

Although the chronological narrative is emphatically signposted by subtitles calling out the weeks of Jax’s pregnancy as they march by, Second Coming feels rather fragmented. As well as the variation in stylistic approach – including striking manipulations of sound – it plays like entire scenes are missing, with characters seemingly intuiting pieces of information. Rather than being a product of clumsy assembly, this feature of Second Coming’s structure seems deliberately calculated to maintain ambiguity. Ultimately, the film raises more questions than it answers. At worst, Second Coming appears undercooked, and is ambiguous to the point of frustration. Yet the fact that it supports multiple meanings made it a fruitful choice for generating post-film discussion, and it’s likely to reward further viewings.

In a welcoming setting host Amantha coaxed the audience until they warmed up, making way for a wide-ranging, thought-provoking and respectful exchange of opinions. The group’s consensus on one issue – that Second Coming has no single clear message – was reflected in the diverse themes which preoccupied different audience members. Although this audience had misgivings about whether Second Coming is an “important” film, all shared enthusiasm for the opportunity to watch and discussion it. This is an entirely unpretentious and unthreatening forum for discussion, bringing underrepresented films to audiences, and vice versa.