A Review of Queen and Slim

Date

By Tayo Adamolekun

In her first feature film, acclaimed music video director Melina Matsoukas collaborates with writer Lena Waithe to challenge viewers beliefs about race and liberty in America. The story follows the journey of a fugitive couple across the deep south of the country. The region’s legacy of oppression and hostility towards blacks permeates the narrative. The tandem’s ordeal is symbolic of the black community’s struggle for emancipation. Written and produced in the context of the Black Lives Matter uprising, this film pushes the envelope of suspense genre films by black auteurs.

The first sequence of the film suggests the disaffection of Queen & Slim. The camera frames the characters seated across from one another at a diner. The young woman played by Jodi Turner Smith is in a dour mood after a difficult work day. Her date, played by Daniel Kaluuya, is affable and empathetic. While driving her home, his vehicle is pulled over for a traffic violation. Tensions flare during the routine stop and the situation escalates to violence. In the ensuing struggle the police officer is shot dead. At the young woman’s insistence, they flee the scene. The incident captures the distrust between white law officer and black citizens. Blinded by prejudice one is unable to recognize the other’s humanity. The same biases that led to the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, et al play out. In this instance, the white cop’s death turns the script on its head. It also determines the fate of Queen & Slim- who’s only life-affirming recourse is to run. This decision reflects an attitude of contempt for the criminal justice system. ‘Do you want to become the state’s property?’ Queen forcefully admonishes a recalcitrant Slim.

The duo embarks on a trajectory that takes them through Ohio, to Kentucky, Louisiana and Georgia. Matsoukas’ lens depicts scenes of the vehicle on the open road, further accentuating their isolation. Queen is the instigator, early on brandishing the dead officer’s gun. Queen only hands Slim the weapon, when they run out of gas and have to hold up a station. At the station, he falters in front of the store clerk who retorts with the gun pointed at him, “you don’t look like a killer.” He asks to hold the weapon, and Slim sedately obliges. The clerk then proceeds to menacingly point the gun at Slim, saying ‘What’s it about holding a deadly weapon that makes me feel so alive? In effect Slim is at the mercy of this armed white clerk. This scene strongly conveys a theme of fear and despondency.

The characters actual names go unmentioned until the end of the film. The void being a loud cry for the victims of police brutality. The anonymity draws Queen & Slim nearer to the spectrum of black people’s experiences. It encompasses the pain of a community that has been criminalized and victimized. Their status as outlaws echoes the perception of blacks as other in the society.

Their flight becomes reflective of a community that is struggling for its freedom. The character of Uncle Earl played by Bokeem Woodbine, lends an air of comedic levity to the urgent circumstances. Queen and Slim both undergo a transformation at his home in New Orleans. Each must confront their inner turmoil and fight back desperation. With Uncle Earl’s aid, they formulate a plan to escape to Cuba.

Deciding on a set course unites them in purpose. Forced to depart abruptly, they hurriedly dress in borrowed clothes. While rushing to leave, they nearly collide in the hallway. A momentary pause emphasizes the tension and anxiety of the two fugitives. The idea of self- discovery, and love is developed in the film. Queen lets down her guard with Slim. ‘I want someone to show me myself,’ she says. The music, from an excellent score by Devonte Hynes is a device to this end. Its purpose is the expression of the vitality of life. The irony is that though their very survival is in jeopardy they are able to share affection and intimacy.

Though it over-reaches in making cult figures of its protagonists, Matsoukas’ film does triumph in making the viewer empathetic of their plight. We are apprehensive for them, scared for them, and even root for their success. “If you don’t make it you’ll be immortal,” quips one fan of the duo. In another scene Slim asks for a picture – “as proof that we were here.” The filmmakers underscore the importance of storytelling. The film itself is evidence, but also celebration of the race’s existence. It is vital to memorialize the victims of police killings. In a scene towards the end of the film Queen prays - a departure from her earlier atheist stance, her words express gratitude for their journey irrespective of its outcome. The enduring testimony of ‘Queen & Slim’ is that growth and transcendence live on the path towards liberation.