Queen & Slim

Melina Matsoukas’ debut, Queen & Slim follows Daniel Kaluuya’s Ernest Hines and Jodie Turner-Smith’s Angela Johnson as they’re forced to go on the run after Ernest shoots a police officer in self defense. First-time filmmaker Matsoukas does a fantastic job of immediately luring the viewer into the deliberately-paced proceedings, as Queen & Slim kicks off with a striking sequence detailing the central characters’ initial meeting during a somewhat awkward first date – with the movie, past that point, seguing into an episodic narrative that effectively straddles the line between heightened reality and social commentary. The emphasis on the protagonists’ various misadventures admittedly does ensure that Queen & Slim‘s midsection suffers from a fairly erratic quality, and yet it’s equally apparent that Matsoukas’ eye for compelling visuals, coupled with the two leads’ often captivating efforts, goes a long way towards sustaining an impressively engrossing atmosphere from beginning to end. And although the movie’s 132 minute runtime is longer than one might’ve preferred, Queen & Slim is, for the most part, an oddly hypnotic piece of work that heralds the emergence of an exceedingly promising new filmmaker.

***1/2 out of ****