Aight, so…
1. Daniel Kaluuya.
2. Beautifully written screenplay. So, thank you to Lena Waithe & James Frey.
3. Shouts to the music supervisor, Kier Lehman. They really need an Oscar category for “Best Soundtrack” (not just Score and Sound Editing) and “Best Ensemble Casting.”
4. DANIEL KALUUYA.
5. Finally a runaway couple where the woman isn’t submissive. She’s tactful. She’s logical. She’s calculating. But she can be tender.
6. If you know me, you know what “Still Tippin’ by Mike Jones featuring Slim Thug and Paul Wall means to my core. My personal favorite part of the movie-going experience for this film was rapping Slim Thug’s verse with a complete stranger who otherwise annoyingly talked throughout the entire film. Honestly after this moment, I didn’t mind it.
7. On that vein, the audience in the theater reflected an important point about marketability of Black cinema. Think about it: two black leads, one a newcomer, star in a film by a black female director/producer, black female screenwriter/producer with a wide as fuck release. The theater was full of us this weekend. And I loved the experience! It almost felt like a family reunion or cookout. #welovetoseeit
8. Daniel. Kaluuya.
9. ME- 👏🏾 LI- 👏🏾 NA 👏🏾 MAT-👏🏾 SOU- 👏🏾 KAS. That’s all. That’s the sentence.
10. Actually, that’s not it. Man, shouts out to shawty forreal. She’s been killing it in the directing game for a minute. She won a Grammy for directing Rihanna’s “We Found Love” video and for Beyonce’s “Formation.” One similarity I noticed between those works and “Queen & Slim” was the absence of excess light. Matsoukas seems to work with as much natural light as possible. For example, the club scene where “Queen” and “Slim” dance in plain sight. It’s lit only by ambient light in that space, there seemed to be no extra lights in focus as they danced. It zooms in on them without another light source. It’s lovely. Another moment: it was early in the morning, and the couple goes with Queen’s uncle and Goddess to light the runaway truck on fire. The only light in that scene emanated from the flames against the foggy light of the early morning. Another example was at the end when Gold-mouthed shawty dip invited them into his trailer, which was dimly lit if at all. I think it was just light from the open window. There seemed to be no certain need for extra lighting, and I appreciated that stylistic decision-making.
Also, not sure if she used a colorist in this film, but some scenes were so sharp and saturated. I can’t recall a specific the scene—maybe Slim’s cranberry velour track suit next to something that made it pop. Maybe the uncle’s car when he was pushing it? I don’t know…all that to say, I enjoyed HOW the scenes looked as much as I like how they were shot.
11. Jodie Turner-Smith. Sis, you did that. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 Like a damn vet. Welcome to my “favorite people” club.
12. Umm, shouts to the references to “Jason’s Lyric.” The real ones know. Shawty in the diner with the baby hairs curled to the nines. Slim picking up Queen at the end, carrying her bloodied body. Bokeem Woodbine co-starred. I mean, c’mon…Lena and Melina be knowin’.
13. The slick convo about where babies came from after they smashed got me to thinking at the end, dawg. When she asks him on the tarmac, “Can I be your legacy?” and he responds, “You already are,” my first thought was “OH SHIT, he’s gonna sacrifice himself so that his girl (and, maybe, his baby) can live!!!” But you know…nah. That ending, sheesh!
14. Interesting we didn’t know the characters names until the very end. I want to have a long conversation with a peer about Black martyr-dom in post-Obama America. It seems like a compelling thesis, and this film’s narrative nudges itself right in the middle of it. You could talk about so much: the rule of law, self-defense, harboring fugitives, police brutality, bounty, violence against women, Black pride, the Blue Wall of Silence, riot culture, the militarization of police, minority authority figures. I could go on forever.
15. “All skinfolk ain’t yo’ kinfolk.”—Erica Street. And the opposite of this is true too. This film is a lesson.
16. An ode to DK:
Mr. Kaluuya, you Ugandan-British King. You gorgeous, ultra-talented being. I….I just want the world to know how much I admire your talent, king. You’re just, an amazing actor. I can’t wait to see your elevation into superstar-dom. I could see you portray James Bond one day. (YEA, I SAID IT!) I’m here to prepare your pedestal, a tall one. And I love MBJ and Chadwick, and all that. BUT, y’all. Shawty is 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥.
17. Indya Moore-a goddess. Thank you for everything you do.
18. Imma be honest, I forgot I was watching such an anomaly on film until the moment they were intimately dancing at the club listening to music, hiding in plain sight. And it really, really hit me until they were physically intimate in the car. The juxtaposition with the community/police riot occurring in their honor was a phenomenal way to break the tension across both scenes.
Not since Kyle and Max on “Living Single,” and more recently Issa and Daniel on “Insecure” and the couple from “If Beale Street Could Talk,” had I seen two deep-hued actors smash on screen like that. Their intimacy was important to depict, and I think Melina and Lena knew this. That’s why they were so careful with it’s portrayal. It was respectful, and raw. It was passionate, and sensual. It was open, it was beautiful. I was so happy to see it.
I was so preoccupied with the story and how well it flowed to notice this significant moment until it was all over. It’s so different, off the jump, by comparison to “Bonnie and Clyde” because we are all so conditioned to pale tones as default. This film’s aim is political. It’s not just a race film. It’s not just a ‘catch-me-if-you-can’ drama. It’s nuanced and seeps into the fabric of our nation’s current social and cultural issues. There were so many times in the theater where the audience made assumptions about characters before the fuller picture was depicted. Rather than waiting for more facts, we rushed to judgement because of what, history, common sense, what we think we’d do in that situation. And I love that shit! Throw some irony in these screenplays, make the audience work for the thrill. That’s what makes these narratives compelling!! You root for people, regardless of ethical considerations, because we all yearn for a hero, a martyr of sorts. And sometimes, as this film showcased well, heroes are fickle, make missteps, or lead others to unfortunate realities that people didn’t really want or wish for.