Queen and Slim Review

Melina Matsoukas’ Crime and Romance Drama Queen and Slim addresses issues of modern-day racism and police brutality by plunging viewers into an American landscape defined by its people, values, and judgments. A somewhat rare portrayal of African Americans and their frequent societal treatment as outsiders, the film forges a telling narrative reminiscent of the past, present, and possible future. Though critics may describe the film as lacking realism in certain aspects, the piece overall does not exhibit a great deal of hubris in regard to itself. Rather, the directing and acting techniques used within usher the story along to its seemingly inevitable conclusion far from its origin geographically and emotionally.                                                                    Queen, played by Jodie Turner-Smith, is a somewhat frosty and well-dressed attorney who isn’t afraid to speak her mind whatever the circumstances. This is contrasted with her date Slim, played by Daniel Kaluuya, a religious man who takes offense at the insinuations of others. The pair find themselves in a rough yet not totally unrealistic situation when a police officer pulls them over and quickly becomes aggressive. After escalation and a self-defense murder the two set off on an unplanned cross country road trip. Along the way they meet many characters, some of whom are empathetic to the couple’s situation and others who feel they may be apart of a larger problem facing African Americans and the country as a whole. As tensions rise and the law closes in on them, the two eventually become fully romantically inclined and are able to find solace in each other after all. Unfortunately, this fails to prove enough to remedy their situation.               Along with unique cinematography techniques, such as truckbed and car door mounted camera angles, the film dabbles in pleasing lighting design that in scenes illuminates its characters well. One might argue though that it isn’t really the technical side of the film which takes precedence, but rather the actors and their forms themselves. Perhaps the best example of this is the sex scene inside the parked car which shows not only a fresh kind of uncensored passion on the screen, but also that of a Black couple which some viewers might find to be a new sight. For this reason the scene, and others such as the powerful Madonna and child imagery at the film’s end, provide progressive views of the Black human form which one could argue has been underrepresented and avoided in film in general.                                                                                  Through Queen and Slim may lack certain aspects of filmmaking that launch it into the legendary category, it comes at a time when it feels like Black cinema is making a kind of return or new emergence into the public eye. From my perspective this enables the film to lend itself to a fair purpose that could create a greater sense of understanding and equality in our society. While I have not touched a great deal on the political aspects of the film, they are integral nonetheless and deserve attention, as their relevancy today works to paint the whole picture of a country where many people suffer from cultural stigma’s  created long ago and never let go of.