Many sleeper films (typically revolving around racial issues) come out every year during awards season hoping to sneak up on the competition and steal others' spotlights but only some can execute that successfully. Queen & Slim is, unfortunately, not one of those films, as its on-the-nose political message and story are a bit lacking. There is a lot to love about Melina Matsoukas' directorial debut and her transition from music videos to film is nothing short of incredible. More than anything, this film is focused on being a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde and even though I had some issues with the pacing of this film and its overall effect, it is still a solid, responsibly-made, and compelling story about racial injustice in America. Despite the unbelievably predictable story and a lack of focus on the actual plot itself, this film has some fantastic performances and chemistry from the two leads which, if nothing else, are able to sell this film incredibly well.
Driving home from their first date at a diner, Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) get pulled over by a police officer on the side of the road. After a violent altercation, Slim ends up killing the officer in self-defense and realizes the gravity of what he's done and what might happen to him. In order to avoid the police, the two change their looks and head out on the road to escape capture. If any of this film's audience has ever seen Arthur Penn's classic Bonnie and Clyde or even just know the story of the two, then it's highly likely that one will be able to guess how this film plays out. The script, written by the talented Lena Waithe, is what this film really relies on to be great but comes off as subjectively mediocre, unfortunately. It was immensely bold of Waithe and Matsoukas to kick off the latter's directorial debut with police brutality, one of the most controversial topics in modern America, and many of the choices that they make throughout this film are fantastic. The amount of topics regarding race and injustice in this country that these filmmakers attempt to tackle is admirable but the lackluster qualities of putting them all together are what really holds this film back. There are so many messages to be told and lessons to be learned throughout this film that are admirably done but simply come off as unfocused. This is reflected in Matsoukas' direction too, as Queen and Slim just end up driving across the country heading towards Florida the entire movie, frequently stopping at gas stations and dealing with the problems that come with their stops. This was a dull trend that plagued the film and much more could have been done to tighten up the story into something more compelling. Not to mention the predictability of the film. As previously mentioned, one can easily figure out how this film is going to end long before it actually does. Thankfully, there is enough good writing surrounding the two leads to make the journey itself worth it. This movie hits every beat that you would expect from a criminal road trip film and not many risky decisions were made in regards to its storytelling. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, however, as I can understand why Matsoukas would want to play this story relatively safe.
Despite the themes surrounding this film being fairly shallow, the performances from Smith and Kaluuya absolutely carry Queen & Slim. These two have phenomenal chemistry together and the writing around their relationship makes this film the perfect, easygoing date movie. Well, not quite, but there is an undeniable charm to these two's interactions which makes this entire story worth it. Smith stood out to me in particular, as her character Queen is one of the most interestingly-written women I have seen in a recent film. Her personality almost completely contrasts with that of Slim and this helped to develop their relationship so well. Queen knew from the beginning how to handle their situation and with her experience as a lawyer, practically knew how their story was going to play out. This gave the film such an interesting dynamic as her expertise helps to fuel the decisions made throughout the story. Waithe does a fantastic job of fleshing out these two leads with enough background and subplots that really enrich their individual characters. By the conclusion of this film, it's almost impossible to not be rooting for them despite the resolution that the audience already knows will likely happen. Along with the excellent performances, the cinematography by Tat Radcliffe was vastly impressive. This film was released by a large studio but due to its technical elements and beautiful visuals, it has such a strong, indie tone. The cinematography was gorgeous and really helped to further establish the world that Queen and Slim were running from. What impressed me most, however, was how nothing ever seemed the same through the lens of the camera. This film follows these two characters as they are driving practically the entire time yet the various choices that Radcliffe made to shoot them made every scene appear new. Radcliffe's use of the camera is unparalleled and I was simply hooked from the very first shot.
There is nothing particularly wrong about Queen & Slim that would render it unwatchable, but I was expecting much more of an impact. Matsoukas did a solid job for the script that she was given and while this film touches on a lot of topics most other movies are afraid to, it spends too much time applying these modern problems in nonsubtle ways to the characters, which does not necessarily make their shared story too memorable. Despite that, I would still recommend this film for its cinematography and fantastic performances, which are definitely its saving graces.
My Rating: ★★★½
No comments:
Post a Comment