Saturday 13 June 2020

Queen & Slim (2019 Melina Matsoukas)

Screenplay Lena Waithe, story Waithe and James Frey.

In a highly timely story, couple Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith fall foul of the law and go on the run - and find to their surprise they're treated as rebel heroes. The film constantly subverts expectations, and surprises at every turn... but the ending can only go one of two ways.

In one place it loses direction - the couple shagging cut against a protest doesn't really work for me, and the teenager then shooting a black cop is one social comment too far. Still, low budget indie is punchy, angry and right on the money, and manages to tell an evolving relationship story at the same time that's rather sweet. 

With Bokeem Woodbine, Chloe Sevigny, Flea. Photographed with hardly a light by Tat Radcliffe (Top Boy, '71, The Shadow Line, Pride).


Kaluuya seems to have the knack for finding low budget films that go big. Get Out was a massive money-spinner, and this seems to be going the same way. If he's getting points, he's on to a good thing - look how far you've gone, Parking Patawayo!

Liked the little moments of dialogue over scenes where they're not speaking.

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