Queen & Slim is yet another movie that seems to be ripped right from today’s headlines. In this case, that’s actually a good thing.
It stars Daniel Kaluuya as Ernest Hines, a young man out on a date with an attorney named Angela Johnson (Jodie Turner-Smith). Their date turns sour after a police officer pulls him over because his vehicle was swerving on the road.
The officer forces him out of the car and then proceeds to arrest him while Angela records the incident. Out of the blue, the officer grazes Angela in the leg and then Ernest shoots the officer in cold blood.
Feeling like they have no choice, the two go on the run to evade the authorities at every turn.
They make their way from Cleveland all the way to New Orleans where Angela’s uncle (Bokeem Woodbine) offers them shelter and another car so they can continue heading south to Cuba.
Along the way, their story inspires others across the country to support them and question any and all cops. Their actions are especially inspiring to a young man named Junior (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) when he attends a protest.
Queen & Slim does try to be like a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde, but it also offers great insight into who these characters are and what their actions have caused.
To say that this film is a mirror of what has happened in America over the last few years would be a tremendous understatement. It’s not hard to see the parallels between the film and any newspaper or news program right now.
First time director Melina Matsoukas does an outstanding job by not hammering the screen with violence but rather gives us a wonderful character study and a meditation on current society.
Kaluuya continues to show his range as an actor and he makes another bold performance come alive. Turner-Smith is equally as impressive as a woman with multiple layers who just wants to stay alive and make it to a better life.
Simultaneously somber and bittersweet as well as thrilling and effective, Queen & Slim is occasionally hard to sit through. It provides social commentary on where we are as a nation and what can we do to understand the issues of race relations and authority in America.
It’s a compelling, complex film.
Grade: A-
(Rated R for violence, some strong sexuality, nudity, pervasive language, and brief drug use.)
