‘Queen & Slim’ is not your typical road trip romance. Directed by Melina Matsoukas, the film stars Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith as two strangers who become bound for life by an incident that is all too familiar in today’s political climate.
The protagonists are introduced as two opposing sides of the same coin. Screenwriter Lena Waithe described Queen’s perspective as being based on Malcom X and Slim’s perspective based on Martin Luther King, Jr. Queen is an attorney and Slim is a man of faith. These two differences collide when Slim kills a police officer in an act of self defence.
As the outlaws begin their journey, they interact with multiple black people, who know and have seen the shooting. Queen and Slim are seen as revolutionaries and anarchists by the black community and therefore have allies who help them reach their end goal. The film shines when the focus is on the two lead actors, who have palpable chemistry and whose stories have a gripping sense of unpredictability.
There are multiple references to classic crime films including ‘Thelma & Louise’, from the vintage turquoise car and a stopover at a country bar. While ‘Thelma & Louise’s message about strong female bonds and breaking gender roles is done in a precise manner, this film becomes something bigger than just a story about two people. The film features a scene at a riot that does not involve the lead characters and while this gives a sense that what Queen and Slim are doing is important to the black community, it feels like a part of the story that can be implied rather than shown.
One of the most intriguing themes of the film is how people see you, whether it be just your family or the whole world. The concept of viewing criminals or outlaws as role models is commonplace in today’s culture. Queen and Slim inspire people to rebel and riot and the film interestingly delves into the idea of either living as somebody no one will remember or dying and becoming a hero, a thought that is constantly running through their heads.
‘Queen & Slim’ at its core is a love story about two people against the rest of the world. While the film is slightly too ambitious in its attempt to capture today’s formidable issues, the impact of this story can be felt by anyone of any colour and like the titular couple, audiences should definitely go for a ride into the unknown.
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