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Queen & Slim Movie Review

Queen & Slim is a 2019 romantic drama film directed by Melina Matsoukas and starring Jodie Turner-Smith and Daniel Kaluuya. It’s a terrific, highly underappreciated picture.

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“Thank you for this journey,

no matter how it ends“

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A couple’s first date takes an unexpected turn when a police officer pulls them over. They end up running from the police, and trying to survive by stealing. There have been movies about this subject before (excessive police brutality on black people), but rarely this potently portrayed.

I disagree strongly with the critics’ assessments about the film being a ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ retelling. It has nothing to do with that movie as the characters and the situations are entirely different. And I generally find the dismissal of this great directorial debut by many critics incredibly annoying.

Yes, this is mostly a great film. I do find the runtime overly excessive, and the middle act could get too slow in pace and uneventful. But the film remains stellar throughout, in particular in the powerful, instantly memorable beginning and that moving, unforgettable ending. The film so cleverly portrays how erratic and guilty people who are wrongly accused can start to behave, and even to begin behaving criminally as well.

Let’s talk about the characters, both of whom are so wonderfully portrayed, and quite complex. I found the supporting characters quite solid as well. Seeing Indya Moore of ‘Pose’ fame warmed my heart, and every single person they encountered on their journey felt real and very well realized. My favorite moment was when that black police officer helped them escape, that was wonderful to witness.

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But let’s get back to the main duo. Firstly, Daniel Kaluuya. He was very good in ‘Get Out’, but he was even better in ‘Widows’ as this very tough, cruel villain. Here however, he plays a completely opposite character. This is a clumsy, very inexperienced and ultimately good person, and he excelled at portraying him like that, and especially his peaceful side.

That tranquil side was so well contrasted with Queen’s more confrontational nature, which to me was quite relatable as I can be like that often times. Jodie Turner-Smith is incredible in this film. She is such an amazing find and I hope she gets to have a great career off of this flick. She is not only visually interesting which is important for a movie career, but also genuinely terrific and talented. She stole the show from Daniel and is the biggest reason to see the entire feature. She might be the best newcomer of the year.

The juxtaposition between these two very different personalities was so well explored and interesting to follow. Their interactions are wonderful, the sex scene is steamy and memorable, and that ending is heartbreaking. This is a black romance for the ages, and the film thus succeeds at being both a powerful, harsh drama and a touching romance.

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Queen & Slim is also very well directed by Melina Matsoukas in what is also probably the finest directorial debut of the year. In particular, the voice-over scenes felt very authentic and different, and they gave those scenes extra emotional punch. The cinematography is also striking at times, that photo that acts as the film’s poster is instantly iconic and the editing is so strong throughout.

Queen & Slim is one of the most underappreciated films of the year as it was so undeservedly judged by many critics. It is overlong and too leisurely in its middle act, but the first act is so powerful and the third one is heartbreaking and unforgettable. The film acts as both a striking indictment of police brutality against black people as well as a beautiful black romance for the ages. Melina Matsoukas here probably delivered the best directorial debut of 2019, and Jodie Turner-Smith is the best newcomer of the year how striking in her looks and immensely talented she is.

My Rating – 4.5

You can get this indie gem of a film on Amazon.