Queen & Slim (2019, Melina Matsoukas)

“Ooh, well, if ain’t the black Bonnie and Clyde.”

3 REASONS TO SEE THIS FILM: 

1. IT'S BEYOND RELEVANT

The film begins with a young man (Daniel Kaluuya, from Get Out) meeting a young woman (Jodie Turner-Smith) in a diner in Cleveland for a date, only it's not going so swimmingly so he drives her home. But it's America, and they're black... so they're pulled over by a cop. As you guessed it, the cop's intentions are not exactly wholesome and things escalate for no reason, leading to the woman being shot at and the guy shooting the cop in self defence. Now these two are on the run and need to get down to meet the woman's uncle (Bokeem Woodbine) for help before heading to Cuba.

With the killing of George Floyd by another white cop (with 18 prior complaints) using severe excessive force only 10 days ago, this film seems more relevant than ever and should be watched by those who missed it last year. The incident of course led to numerous protests, as per in this film which revered these two as heroes of the black community. Especially due to the fact that the shady cop they incidentally killed had also killed a black man two years prior for seemingly no reason.

2. INTRICATE DETAILS FOR A FILM DEBUT 

After over 50 music videos, director Melina directs her first feature film and it's powerful, and full of easily missed details. For instance the reason why the film begins in Ohio is this was the last stop on the underground railroad where slaves would then venture forth to Canada seeking asylum. Here they begin their journey in Ohio and venture down south in order to get to Cuba.

In addition to this, there had been a fatal shooting of a black man by a another white police officer in the same state back in 2014. Not to mention six cars pulled over in the very same street where the incident occurs, one with the exact car model of our protagonist. We even have our heroes hiding under floorboards in one particular scene, which was a common way of hiding slaves back in the 1800s.

3. IT'S NOT 'BLACK & WHITE'

The film doesn't simply paint a black & white picture where black is good and white is evil, nor does it state that all cops are evil either. In fact we get examples of this with help from a white couple (played by Flea and Chloë Sevigny) who help hide them in their home, a seemingly wholesome white sheriff (who acknowledges the issues with some of his fellow officers), a black cop who aids in their escape and a betrayal from a companion who's out for the reward money. 

Alongside all of this, we also see two characters starting off on a bad date, involuntarily ending up on the road, on the run together. And what makes this film really work is the chemistry we see in these two flourish with great performances throughout.   

Rating: B+

Click here for the trailer