Queen & Slim (2019)

By: Andie Pitts on Wednesday, November 27

R Running Time: 132 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

  • Queen & Slim is a lot bolder than I assumed It to be. The story as a whole will stay in your mind, a modern day Bonnie and Clyde story with a lot more edge.

  • Jodie Turner-Smith and Daniel Kaluuya deliver exceptional performances as a couple who want nothing more but to be free.

  • The cinematography was nothing short of remarkable, along with the soundtrack that added an electric energy to the film as a whole. 

NO

  • The film doesn’t shy away from diving deep into an extremely sensitive topic of police brutality and racism. If you are not open to this, Queen & Slim might be a challenging film to watch for you.

  • Contains graphic/intense scenes of people getting shot that may not be suitable for some people. 

  • Slow in some scenes, bringing the energy of the movie down to a screeching halt at times. 


OUR REVIEW

Melina Matsoukas takes a break from making music videos to release her debut film, my vote for perhaps the most controversial movie of 2019, Queen & Slim.

The film follows Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) and Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) as their first date takes an abrupt turn when the young African-American couple is pulled over for a minor traffic violation by a white police officer. As the interaction between the officer and the couple heightens to a gratuitous proportion, Slim shoots the officer out of self defense with the officer’s gun. With no other option, Queen and Slim run away in hopes of escaping and eluding the law.

When a video of their actions goes viral, the two spark a national phenomenon as they become a symbol of rebellion and hope for many across the country - and to some other minacious criminals. 

The story of Queen and Slim feels as real as life itself. While watching it, the energy in the theater was electric. There were a lot of verbal cheers and clapping whenever the audience members agreed with something on screen.

Along with that, after the film, many groups of people - young and old, white and black, were all coming together to discuss their opinion on the film. Queen & Slim is a movie that needs to be known, a movie that could potentially bring change.

Matsoukas takes a topic that has been around forever, featured and discussed in many movies, and forms it into something new. Fueled by Kaluuya and Turner-Smith’s powerful performances, the screenplay by Lena Waithe strikes down deep into your soul and offers a new perspective on how black men and women are portrayed on the screen.

Within the first five minutes, everything is on the table, anything could happen. Like the movie Sorry to Bother You, Queen & Slim carries similar moments of light comedy throughout the film, which keep the movie from being too heavy at the outset.

Beside the amazing cinematography by Tat Radcliffe and the acting already mentioned, one of things I thoroughly enjoyed about the film were the interactions Queen and Slim had on their journey. The couple traveled from Ohio to their ultimate destination in Florida. Along the way, they share many interactions with all types of people, all with something to say about their situation.

With each interaction, these scenes open the story up immensely, to a point where the film went from following the decisions and opinions of Queen and Slim to how others around the nation felt. We ultimately gain greater perspective on the issues at hand and Queen & Slim reinforces that that no matter what color your skin is, everyone has a different point of view and a different opinion.

In one fascinating scene, the couple meets a teenage African-American boy who works with his father in a car shop. After talking to the couple, the boy is seen later participating in a protest against police officers killing unarmed people. This scene is especially powerful, showing how one act of rebellion can cause an entire war among different communities.

Queen & Slim has some explicit and graphic scenes that may not be suitable for some viewers. Don’t get me wrong, overall the film is excellent. However, It really dives deep into the topic of what racism is like in modern-day America. The humor falls away and this becomes anything but a “light” film.

At times, there are some extremely slow scenes that bring the adrenaline rush to a screeching halt. But above all of those things, I think the impact Queen & Slim has is an ability to let each individual take something away from the film as a whole: That sometimes you have to be willing to die for something you believe in.

And no matter what your background is or what you have experienced, unjustified death cannot bring the nation together, but understanding one another hopefully can.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Chloë Sevigny, Flea, Sturgill Simpson, Indya Moore, Benito Martinez.

Director: Melina Matsoukas
Written by: Lena Waithe (screenplay); James Frey, Lena Waithe (story)
Release Date: November 27, 2019
Universal Pictures