Queen & Slim (Melina Matsoukas, 2019): USA | Canada

Reviewed by Kaio Farkouh. Viewed at the 2019 AFI festival.

Before the screen, I was wondering how this movie would give a different approach to a story and its social issues. A couple of minutes before the screen director, Melina Matsoukas, and writer Lena Waithe showed up to give a brief presentation about the movie. As they talk, I started to change the expectations that I had as I walked into the theater. “It is a love letter to black people,” said writer Waithe.

The film follows the story of our main characters, Queen, played by Jodie  Turner-Smith, who decides to go on a date with Slim, played by the very talented Daniel Kaluuya. As they drive home, an officer asks them to pull over and with a turning of events, they end up shooting and killing the officer.

Within the first 15 minutes of the movie, you can feel and see the difference in having women in charge of the movie. Queen, is a very rational, cold and emotionless character and Slim, who does a different job from his previous work in the overlooked film, Widows (2018). Here he is the opposite of Queen, he is very emotional and sometimes not very rational. The couple is the core and the best thing in the movie. There are some very beautiful interactions between them, as the film goes along, their feelings and emotions for each other grow as they embrace this journey for their lives.

As Waithe said before the movie, “this movie is a love letter to the black people.” It makes total sense, and I’m glad they choose to follow this path. “Queen & Slim” is closer to be a film like “If Beale Street Could Talk” (2018) rather than “The Hate U Give” (2018). The 2019 movie focuses more on the interaction and growth of characters and their love and passion for each other, but never forgets that there is a big problem in the background, something that hunts and suffocates them. Yet, the film can be poetic. Poetic in a sense through voice-overs that represent desires and feelings. And the dark cinematography and low levels of lights bring pretty to the black color of our characters. It enriches their characters, so it does with their culture.

It is the first feature film directed by Matsoukas, and she does a great job with the help of her friend and writer, Waithe. In telling this raw, cruel and sad story. Even though we have seen this story before, it does not get old. Because it speaks to the reality that we live in, and the reality that black people face. The movie shows the beauty in their diverse cast, as it proclaims equal rights in a Hollywood dominated by white-guys, so it asks for a change in our society.


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