#queen&slim

Taking it all in!

Academy Award Winner Daniel Kaluuya!

"i want a guy to show me myself. i want him to love me so deeply that i'm not afraid to show him how ugly i can be. to show me scars i never knew i had. but i don't want him to make them go away, i want him to hold my hand while i nurse them myself. and i want him to cherish the bruises they leave behind."

I was stunned upon learning that Queen and Slim is Melina Matsoukas’ directorial debut. I’m not saying she’s come out of her cocoon fully formed but this effort brands her as a name to look out for in the future. It’s stylish, has a lot to say, with complex emotions and an equally complex relationship at its core.

On their first date, Ernest “Slim” Hines (Daniel Kaluuya) and Angela “Queen” Johnson (Jodie Turner-Smith) are stopped by a white police officer. One thing leads to another and they kill the officer in self-defense. With the nation either idolizing or hunting them, they go on the run.

Many romantic films begin with the two leads disliking each other, usually as a way to delay the inevitable conclusion or string us through the same old plot points. Here, it’s an essential component. You can tell our protagonist's first date is going exactly nowhere. It’s no wonder that when they're forced to hit the road together they bicker. Their lives have just been turned upside down. A lack of resentment towards the other person would be unnatural.

Plenty of heavy material is addressed on this journey. Everyone we meet reacts differently to Queen and Slim's actions and to how the world views them. In turn, you have conflicting thoughts about many of the people we meet. When things look promising, it isn’t long before the escape takes a sour turn and the tension jumps to the brim of the cup. You’re scared by every bit of movement on-screen. You’re certain this is the moment where things will abruptly end. There’s an immediacy to everything that’s happening. You feel it. Queen and Slim feel it. Knowing that every moment could be their last, they throw away their inhibitions. There’s something romantic about two people facing everyone else on their own and choosing to live like there's no tomorrow. The chemistry between Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith certainly helps.

You forget your initial apprehension and become so invested in Queen and Slim together anything but a happy ending will cause the theatre’s ceiling to come down. Then again, look at everything surrounding this modern-day Bonnie and Clyde. How could it end happily?

My one criticism concerns a subplot featuring Jahi Di’Allo Winston. In a way, his part in this bigger story is necessary. It shows some of the unforeseen consequences of Queen and Slim's sudden celebrity and hero status. That said, it does feel just the tiniest bit exploitative to throw another heavy, borderline traumatic idea onto a story that already talks extensively about police’s bias towards blacks. The film is over 2 hours long and trimming that bit is just what the picture needed.

Queen and Slim delivers a lot of thought-provoking material, important discussion points and heavy ideas - in an easily digestible package. The character development and romance are exemplary and the emotions stick with you after the end of the credits. (Theatrical version on the big screen, December 9, 2019)