Four years ago, Daniel Kaluuya was an unknown British actor whose most substantial credit was a supporting role in the Johnny English sequel.
Fast forward to today, he’s an Academy Award nominee, and more importantly, a chameleon with something new to say in each role. Perhaps now, he can even be considered a marquee headliner.
Queen & Slim continues Kaluuya’s ascent to stardom. In accompaniment with three talented women, they have created a bold new movie rare to be found from a studio release. Jodie Turner-Smith is the Queen to Kaluuya’s Slim, and a brand new face on the silver screen. Writer Lena Waithe, an established name in young Hollywood, brings us the screenplay. And director Melina Matsoukas, one of the biggest names in the music video scene, makes a grand feature film debut with this emotionally charged film of the moment. The Waithe/Matsoukas team is a stunning collaboration whose authorship is bold and unflinching, and we can all hope to see even more projects from them together in the future.
When I saw the trailer for Queen & Slim earlier this year, I was immediately excited as a Bonnie & Clyde fan for the opportunity to take the lovers on the run archetype and bring it to the present day. Seeing the homages to the 1967 film in the trailer, I put together a side-by-side comparison to Bonnie & Clyde and Queen & Slim. Take a look:
Having spent a copious amount of time scrutinizing the trailer to match edit it to Bonnie & Clyde, it shouldn’t surprise you that I could not miss the first opportunity I could to see the movie. I found myself in the standby line at the world premiere, hosted by AFI FEST at the TCL Chinese Theater. The excitement for this project reverberated throughout the massive theater and the four key creatives mentioned were all on hand to usher it into the world.
From my vantage point, an interesting observation about the film is that it has plenty more to show that’s not featured in the trailer. Even when the trailer does give glimpses to moments, they often unfold in unexpected ways. Queen & Slim is an odyssey in the classic sense: our two lead characters take a journey they did not sign up for, and along the way, encounter characters that shape and inform this trip, each with some interpretable subtext. This vignette approach certainly is reminiscent of Bonnie & Clyde, but also brings to mind a wide swath of other inspiration, from Homer’s Odyssey to American Honey.
Many other writers will dive into the film’s handling of race, police brutality, and other hot-button topical components that work their way into the narrative. I want to use this platform to dissect my favorite piece of subtext found in the film: its rich use of geography. Queen & Slim start their journey in Southern Ohio and zigzag their way across the United States. Each location is deliberately given a name and place, unlike some road movies which hide where characters are supposed to be. I counted at least five states (or areas within those states) that are given name recognition. Matsoukas has a visual style that makes even simple transition moments, like a car driving across an empty road, rich with texture and significance.
After leaving Ohio, Queen & Slim make their way South. At a certain point in the movie where the characters have to hide from the police without much notice, a visual caused something to click for me: this exodus South is somewhat of a modernized look at the Underground Railroad and the treacherous journey to freedom. In the past, runaway slaves sought freedom by escaping to the North. For Queen & Slim, the hope of freedom is found in the southernmost part of the United States. It seems that it’s no coincidence the film chooses to highlight so many Southern states, with characters stopping along the way and seeking refuge in a manner reminiscent of Underground Railroad lore. The journey to freedom was also bolstered by courageous individuals who helped those along the way, even when breaking the law. At every step of the journey, Queen & Slim encounter people who have a choice: help these two and break the law, or aid in their arrest, and follow the law. Most characters pick the former, and that’s what allows them to make their passage. This use of geography is an allegory I hope to dissect further, and I am especially curious to see if it’s mentioned in other publications about the film.
Otherwise, there are times where the film’s pace lacks the sense of urgency established by the premise. The nature of stopping along the way means that at times, the movie’s momentum is slow. However, with each step comes intriguing characters and development of the two leads, so despite an occasionally meandering pace, there is plenty to be captivated by. Overall, it’s a film worth seeing, for both classic movie fans looking for the Bonnie & Clyde homages, and also contemporary cinephiles looking for a roster of new talent on the climb to the top.
QUEEN & SLIM (2019)
Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Chloë Sevigny
Directed by Melina Matsoukas
Written by Lena Waithe, James Frey (story by)
Distributed by Universal Pictures. 132 minutes. In Theaters everywhere Wednesday, November 27, 2019.
