Tragic Immortality

Queen & Slim – 2019 – R

Proceeding with caution do I offer observations on this Black film that writer Lena Waithe calls “protest art,” the film’s title representing Black people in America, not the names of the two lead characters. We don’t even hear their “real” names, Ernest and Angela, until a tv news broadcast at the end of the movie. Two young African-Americans, Jesus-fearing Ernest (Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out, Black Panther) and criminal defense attorney Angela (Jodie Turner-Smith – first lead role in a feature film) meet in a modest diner for a computer match date. They don’t really hit it off but with dramatic irony will wind up spending the rest of their lives together. Leaving the cafe they are pulled over by a White cop for a minor infraction. We learn later that this officer has a publicly known history of violence towards Blacks. The seemingly innocent traffic stop predictably ends deadly, Angela grazed in the leg, shot by the officer and then Ernest, in an act of self defense and a genre turnaround, kills the officer. The worst blind date in history turns into an Ohio to Macon to New Orleans to Miami road trip, the young couple ducking and dodging a nationally televised cop killer man hunt. Their faces are splashed all over the media elevating them to hero status in Black communities. Their journey to safety, an impromptu plan to get to Cuba, evolves into a contemporary Underground Railroad where Blacks and a smattering of Whites informally pull together to provide them safe passage. There are hints of Romeo and Juliette, Bonnie and Clyde, Thelma and Louise and Harriett in the film’s 132 minute runtime so do invest in a quick review of this classic/instant classic filmography before you go. There is also an excellent article in Oprah Magazine worth reading, https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a29953547/who-is-jodie-turner-smith/

 The young couple’s odyssey across the countryside, at first filled with hostility and blame towards each other, grows into a budding romance culminating in a steamy sex scene in the front seat of their car. Their lengthy lovemaking is intersected with scenes of a violent local protest—about their plight—where a Black Officer in riot gear is shot point blank in the head by a Black teen who earlier met and instantly idolized the couple as the teen’s reluctant car mechanic father repaired the couple’s blown radiator. A fallen Black officer killed at the hands of an enraged Black youth represents, to me, how Black Lives Matter injustices infiltrate and corrupt the actions of all, spreading hatred and anger across and within races.

Queen and Slim is a tough movie to watch, especially as a White person whose race is the target of this Black J’Accuse. Guaranteed, the film is disturbing and will cause discomfort, but art often speaks to the heart where other mediums fail. Having it’s world premiere at the American Film Institute’s annual celebration of artistic excellence, a showcase for the best festival films of the year, Queen & Slim is a daring story full of cultural symbolism, metaphor, allusion and allegory.  There is the exciting physical escape and there is a compelling parallel psyche escape filled with wonderful scenes of the couple shedding invisible societal chains, daring to live their lives without apology or fear, as simple as dancing in a homegrown Black nightclub, jumping a fence and riding an elegant white horse, or hanging out the window of their moving car, carefree faces turned joyfully into the wind. Their final declaration of freedom will break you. For these reasons alone, I’d encourage you to see this film, going in with an open mind and hopefully coming out with an open heart. 

Author: Rev. Peggy Bryan

I was ordained an Episcopal Priest in 2009. View all posts by Rev. Peggy Bryan