Queen & Slim is the story of a first date that goes horribly wrong. Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) meets Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) at a diner after matching on the popular dating app Tinder. Slim struggles to find a way to warm up to her as Queen seems to only want company and nothing more. Soon after, they are pulled over by a police officer and what started as a stop for failure to signal quickly escalates into a fight with Slim killing the officer in an act of self-defense.
These two characters have only just met and already they are faced with the decision of whether to turn themselves in and face the consequences of their actions or take their chances evading the law. They decide to stick together and come up with a plan to flee the country.
Their journey takes them through the backroads of America in their effort to avoid being captured. Throughout the film, there are times when you get lost in the scenery and calmness of places that most of us are not familiar with. You forget that these two are on the run and wanted for murder. Some of the people who assist Queen and Slim are Queen’s Uncle Earl (Bokeem Woodbine), Earl’s military friend Shepherd (Flea) and his wife (Chloë Sevigny).
There have been comparisons to this being a modern-day Bonnie & Clyde, however I strongly disagree. Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were known for robbing several banks during The Great Depression and it is estimated that they killed at least 9 police officers and 4 civilians. Their crime spree ended when they were both shot dead on May 23, 1934 in Gibsland, Louisiana.
Although Queen and Slim are heralded as heroes by many of the people they encounter, there are some who don’t think that shooting a cop is heroic at all. After seeing this, I believe that the filmmakers left it up to the audience to decide. Director Melina Matsoukas makes her feature film debut and does a great job telling this story of how two people’s lives get turned upside down. Producer and Writer Lena Waithe stopped by the show and answered an interesting question left by another guest, star Daniel Kaluuya.
Queen & Slim is in theaters November 27th. You can also check out the full interviews with Lena and Daniel below!
