Queen & Slim

Yesterday I finally got to see Queen & Slim, a movie that has been on my list for a really long time!  I usually enjoy movies that feature some kind of social commentary but I was surprised by how much I loved this.  A black man (Daniel Kaluuya) and a black woman (Jodie Turner-Smith) who have been matched by Tinder have a first date that does not go very well because she is uptight and he is deeply religious.  As he is driving her home, they are stopped by a white police officer for a minor traffic violation and the situation quickly escalates.  As the officer attempts to arrest the man, who has done nothing wrong, the woman, who is a lawyer, interferes and is shot in the leg.  In the ensuing scuffle, the man grabs the gun and kills the officer in self-defense.  He is traumatized by what he has done and wants to turn himself in but she, as a lawyer, knows that a black man accused of killing a cop won't get any justice so she demands that they go on the run.  The footage from the police camera goes viral so they decide to go to Florida and try find a way to Cuba.  As they travel through the rural South, they are helped by the people they encounter and soon realize that they have become reluctant folk heroes.  This movie is sometimes very difficult to watch but it is also beautiful and very powerful.  The audience does not learn the backstories of the two main characters until almost the third act (we don't even learn their names until the final scenes and neither of the nicknames in the title are ever used) but this works because they are essentially archetypes for the black experience.  I found their transformation fascinating because they are only able to find a measure of happiness and freedom when they abandon the roles they have been playing all of their lives (which makes their choice at the end, while shattering, at least understandable).  I loved the structure of the narrative because, while there are some really tense and desperate scenes where they have to elude capture, most of the action involves poignant moments between the two characters. I especially enjoyed a scene at a blues club where she finally lets down her guard.  Kaluuya and Turner-Smith give riveting and highly sympathetic performances and I found myself willing them to succeed while waiting for the outcome I knew was coming.  This movie features beautiful cinematography, atmospheric lighting, and a message that is both provocative and profound.  I was very moved by it and highly recommend it.