“Queen & Slim” starring Jodie Turner-Smith & Daniel Kaluuya, directed by Melina Matsoukas & written by Lena Waithe, is a story surrounding two individuals following the aftermath of Kaluuya’s character killing a cop in self-defense. These individuals remain unnamed until the very end of the film, in fact, the origin of the names “Queen & Slim” are never touched upon… which was odd.
There are a lot of problems within the script of this film, let’s begin with the pacing. When we are first introduced to Queen & Slim, they are on a very awkward & uncharismatic Tinder date. It is clear that these two are not compatible whatsoever; Queen is very reserved & makes it clear that she only agreed to go on this date because her client was executed & she needed an escape, so Slim happily agreed, & he is obviously more into her than she is with him. Queen is a stern attorney & Slim is a happy go lucky church boy, he prays before he eats his meal as Queen looks at him in disgust, later revealing that she is an atheist. These two personalities do not coincide whatsoever, & at the end of the date Slim asks Queen if he can get to know her more & she is utterly uninterested in the idea. With that being said, it is very hard to believe that these two characters who were blatantly incompatible in the beginning can fall so deeply in love in such a short timespan of only 6 days. So I present the question: was it really true love or was it trauma bonding?
It is also hard to believe that this seemingly intelligent attorney would run off with her Tinder date who she just met & who she isn’t remotely attracted to in an attempt to save his life. That’s the problem that I have with this film, they used a realistic subject (police brutality) & flipped the story in such a nonrealistic way, yet this film wants people to have a conversation but what exactly is the conversation that Lena & Melina want us to have? Furthermore, approximately 45 minutes of this film could’ve been cut out. There are a few scenes and moments that either were misplaced or did not need to be in the film at all. There is a scene where a black teen shoots a black cop in the face when the cop was just trying to be peaceful. It was unbelievably unnecessary, came off as shock value, & I would love for Lena to explain the point behind it because that moment genuinely did not need to happen. That scene once again made me question the message that this film is trying to convey, what exactly is the message? Where are we going with this?
This film tries to paint itself as a love story, but it is not. Granted, the performances of Smith & Kaluuya & their chemistry were so amazing that it gave audiences the impression that their love was genuine, but nothing about it was. We have two completely opposite people on the run from the feds after murdering a cop in self defense, both know that this journey will not end well, they are scared shitless, in the beginning Queen is still not attracted to Slim (even the sounds of him eating pisses her off), so essentially the only reason these two characters build a connection is because they are both traumatized together. Queen said so herself that she would not have agreed to go on a second date with Slim if he had asked. In short, this is a forced, wannabe love story and there is nothing authentic about falling in love with someone in under a week just because you guys are on the run together. I don’t doubt that these two begin to care for each other towards the end but in terms of this being considered true love? I don’t think so. I would’ve preferred for Queen & Slim to take on a brother & sister role instead of a romantic one, it would have been a tad bit more realistic.
On a positive note, I have to give praise to the directing style of Melina Matsoukas. “Queen & Slim” is visually stunning & aesthetically pleasing. The cinematography was beautiful, the costume design was on point (especially Uncle Earl’s Gucci sweater), & I loved the color grading in a scene. The dialogue was also occasionally appreciated, at one point Slim asks Queen: “why do black people always have to be ‘excellent’? Why can’t we just be?” Those are the only good things that I have to say about this film, this film has a few beautiful moments but it ultimately falls flat.
The writing was unrealistic, the character development was rushed (6 days, really?), there were one too many filler scenes & this is a story of trauma bonding, not love. “Queen & Slim” is the result of a writer trying their very hardest to come across as “woke” whilst displaying nothing but empty messages.
Final Rating – 4/10
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