Queen & Slim

by Le Anne Lindsay, Editor

Lena Waithe (Boomerang (TV Series) wrote this movie from a suggestion by “A Million Little Pieces” author James Frey. She explains as black people we have to make a decision on who we show up as in life – Martin Luther King or Malcolm X. I think that’s a bit overstated as it doesn’t leave any gray area, or should I say, medium brown 😉 but in terms of character creation I see her point. Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) is a hard driving, cynical defense attorney. Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) is an easygoing, religious Costco employee. They meet on Tinder. She’d swiped left on him before, but tonight she didn’t want to be alone after hearing her client was sentenced to the death penalty.

The first-date segment which takes place in a diner contains sharply scripted dialogue. The two aren’t exactly hitting it off, but there’s definitely some sparks. I have a little trouble believing she’d let him pick her up for their meeting in the first place, she seems far too cautious and independent, never-the-less, it’s on the way to driving Queen home that they are pulled over by one of those kinda cops, constantly on a power trip, who love nothing better than making up trouble for anyone of color they encounter. Perhaps if Queen didn’t show up as Malcolm X and continued to let Slim handle it like Martin Luther King, things wouldn’t have escalated to the point of no return. But that’s the statement being made here – black people, all people, have a right to assert their rights in the presence of the police, it should never become a matter of grovel and swallow to stay safe.

Once the cop is killed in self-defense, Queen knowing the system is rigged against them insists they go on the lam, despite Slim’s protests. Their first few encounters are hilarious, worthy of Waithe’s “Master of None” roots, particularly Queen’s pimp of an uncle Earl (Bokeem Woodbine) but as the stakes rise higher and the two begin to bond, the tone changes quite a bit. The couple become folk heroes, rooted on by strangers who see the black/white divide perfectly spelled out in their predicament. Eventually coming to an inevitable crescendo.

This is director Melina Matsoukas (HBO’s “Insecure,” Beyonce’s “Formation” video) and Waithe’s first feature-length movie – despite all the references to Bonnie & Clyde, and Thelma & Louise or any other number of road trip movies, these women have managed to create a film that feels enlivened and original in its tone, dialogue, romance and singular performances.

T&T @LAMB rating: 4 outta 5