Director: Melina Matsoukas
Screenplay: Lena Waithe
Minutes: 201
Year: 2019
Score: 8.60
Release: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Typically, I like to pepper this intro with something about the film itself, but the film is more important than that and I want to keep it all encased below. I really want to start by judging a book by its cover. While it is not uncommon to find a little embossing in a studio slipcase, this one has more in common with a high-quality Vinegar Syndrome slip than anything I have seen from a major studio. That, with the lack of the ugly blue Blu-ray bar at the top, opting for a designed font, mirroring the actor credits, and a completely different font on the spine, makes for a very well-crafted release.
From Emmy®-winning writer Lena Waithe and Grammy Award-winning director Melina Matsoukas, comes the unflinching new drama, Queen & Slim. On a first date, a black man and woman are stopped by a policeman over a minor traffic infraction. As the situation spirals, the man kills the officer in self-defense, forcing the two to go on the run. As they drive, these two unlikely fugitives discover themselves in the most dire of circumstances, forging a powerful love that reveals their shared humanity and shapes the rest of their lives.
Released in a year with several other socially important pictures it could be easy to overlook this one. I remember seeing the trailer and being interested, but due to its somewhat selective editing I couldn’t grasp its full impact.
During the full scene with the police, this happens in the first 10 minutes, it is very clear that the cop likely has racist tendencies, and he takes a pot shot at Queen before Slim tackles him. The omission of the attack on Queen changes the meaning for me. I assumed the film was about the epidemic of police shooting unarmed, and unprovocative black men and women, but I didn’t grok message until seeing the full film.
I understand that the film has spiked an interesting discussion about black art. It will likely be considered an extremely black film, has been called Black Lives Matter fan fiction, and has been criticized for its bleak outlook. After reading some other essays I understand what their writers are saying, but I don’t feel wholly qualified for this essay to be a response to those.
What I saw was a beautifully photographed and poignantly written story of how quickly situations can alter the course of a life. The chosen storyline is an all-to-frequent one of seemingly inappropriate traffic stop escalating to violence by a racist cop. I don’t want to begin to suggest that I will ever fully understand what that is like. But I think I might understand it a little bit more now.
The film reminds me of Terrence Malick’s Badlands, both in its cinematography, but in some ways also it’s plot and I am interested to see out Queen and Slim lasts into the future.
The special features add quite a bit to the experience of the movie and could be considered essential. Overall, I think this is a great film and a great release.
Special Features:
- A Deeper Meaning
- Melina & Lena
- Off the Script
- On the Run with Queen & Slim
- Feature Commentary with Director/Producer Melina Matsoukas and Writer/Producer Lena Waithe
Director: 10 – Cinematography: 10 – Edit: 5 – Parity: 10 – Main performance: 10 – Else performance: 8 – Score: 8 – Sound: 6 – Story: 10 – Script: 10 – Effects: 7 – Design: 6 – Costumes: 9 – Keeps interest: 10 – Lasting: 10