Monday Movie Review: Queen and Slim
It’s going to be really hard to put into words just how incredible this movie is. I’ll put it this way, first and foremost, I saw this movie almost a week ago, and I still cannot stop thinking about it. It’s probably the most thought-provoking, uncomfortable, difficult, challenging movie I have ever seen and I can’t really overstate the importance of taking the time to watch this movie. Preferably in the theater, because as we know, money talks.
Queen and Slim is about a guy (Daniel Kaluuya) and a girl (Jodie Turner-Smith) who meet up for a first Tinder date at a diner. On their way home, they’re pulled over and there’s an altercation with the white cop. Slim ends up shooting and killing the cop in self defense, and the two of them decide to run instead of turning themselves in. They head out of state, and develop a plan to flee to Cuba. They’re assisted by some friends and family members, and some members of the Black community that they meet along the way. The incident sparks a movement, further pushing the nation’s racial divide. Some shit goes down, and it gets intense.
Again, there are really no words to do the impact of this film justice. This story (written by Lena Waithe and directed by Melina Matsoukas) is brutal and honest. The acting is off the charts. It’s shot beautifully, directed beautifully, portrayed beautifully. And all of that beauty exists in a story that is, at its heart, pretty ugly. It’s raw and real, and as you’re watching it, you think about how this is actually happening. All the time. And what is being done to stop it? As a white woman, watching this film, I struggled to imagine how terrifying it must be to be afraid of the police. When I was a kid, I was taught to trust them, and that they would protect me. And they would. But that’s not the case for everyone, and it’s nauseating, honestly.
I really hope Queen and Slim gets the awards recognition it deserves, because I know that is the only way many people will be exposed to it, and mostly because everyone associated with this film deserves a nomination and a win. I’m not super confident it will get the respect it deserves. But the absolute least I can do is urge you to see it, with an open mind and an open heart. Bring some Kleenex.
Queen and Slim earns an incredibly rare A+. Go see it.
