Direction: Melina Matsoukas
Country: USA
In Queen & Slim, the first feature film from music video maker Melina Matsoukas, a pacific ordinary man and an exhausted lawyer are forced to radically change their lives after an eventful first date in Ohio. Following dinner at a local restaurant, Slim and Queen - played by Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith, respectively - are pulled over by a ruthless white cop with a known past of prejudice against African-Americans.
Slim kills the policeman, acting in self defense after being unreasonably threatened. The couple then flees to New Orleans, where they expect to be received by Earl (Bokeem Woodbine), Queen’s estranged uncle. After realizing that the media incriminates them without evidence, a new plan arises: to reach Miami and, from there, take a plane to Cuba where they should find the safety they’re looking for.
Aligning a lot of incidents en route, this quite enjoyable road trip written by Lena Waithe, takes an unexpected bad turn to hell just one step away from heaven. Although boasting opposite postures, the two protagonists gradually develop a strong chemistry. The fine performances sustain the film’s electrifying premise.
As a thriller/romance hybrid, Queen & Slim satisfies as it boasts adequate dynamics within a decently structured framework. Yet, if some segments feel a bit stretched, trying to get noticed through glamorous visuals, some others are not new at all. It’s an uneven, if watchable, lovers-on-the-lam film.
