Queen & Slim

Queen & Slim is a modern day Bonnie & Clyde drama draped in the current tensions surrounding police brutality and the murders of unarmed people of color. It follows a young man and woman who meet for the first time on a date, though the date was not particularly a success, things take a turn for the worst when they are pulled over for a traffic violation.

The screenplay was written by the brilliant Lena Waithe and it was directed by first time director Melina Matsoukas. The plot was timely, realistic, suspenseful and emotionally charged. It kept me on my toes from start until finish. The cinematography was powerful and gritty.

The movie primarily focused on the two main characters, Slim played by the talented Daniel Kaluuya and Queen played by new comer, Jodie Turner-Smith. They are both British but you wouldn't have known it as both of their American accents were spot on. They had great chemistry together and their performances were commanding on screen. The character development was just enough to get you to really care about these characters, but I felt like they could have gone a bit deeper.

I held off on watching this movie when it had originally came out because I knew I would have to wrap my head around it. And I was right, there were parts that were tough to watch and parts that were sad, but there were also themes of hope. I think that this movie is definitely worth watching, just know, for those interested, get ready for a roller-coaster of emotions.