'Queen and Slim'

Here is the thing. I cannot talk too much about the meaning behind this movie as it does not relate to me. And going to the premiere last night, I clearly was in the minority because this movie is geared towards the African American demographic which I think is amazing. It is written and directed by two amazing, strong African American women who really made a story that is all the relatable for others like them, especially in the US.

The movie Queen and Slim is about this “couple” who starts out on a first date, end up getting pulled over by a cop. During the search of the car, the situation escalates, and “Slim” ends up shooting and killing the cop in the act of self defence because he shot at “Queen” prematurely with him racially profiling the couple.

With this they go on the run trying to escape from the cops and make it to Cuba. Along the way, they are known more so as the “Black Bonnie and Clyde.” They were symbols for the community as others like them are sick and tired with the police brutality that their people experience. When they stopped because they needed to fix their car, they have this young black boy take their photo which becomes such a powerful image. As they are on the run, people help them out to go against the racial profiling that police in the states really are accused of doing.

At the end, when you think they are going to get away, they are sold out by one of the people trying to help them as he needed the cash reward. The ending is really quite emotional, and it really makes you feel a lot of emotion. After the big moment between Queen and Slim, you finally learn their names as they made the national news, and have their photo plastered everywhere in the black communities.

After the movie, the writer and director answered some questions which really hammered the point home. It really was a representation of what black people do go through in society and drew inspiration from real life events where police have shot, and killed, innocent black individuals for no reason. One of the things they also said about it that really moved me was how you do not find out their names until the very end of the movie. This was deliberate as they said, it is so you see yourself in the characters, that they represent everyone in the community and how we all can see ourselves in them.

This movie is one that I think society needs greatly. We are in a day and age where we hear all too often of someone being shot and killed by the cops in a situation where it was definitely not needed. The sad part about it all as well, is that 99% of the time the victim is an African American citizen being racially profiled. A lot of the time too you see that the cop overreacts way to aggressively and then claims that it was self defense, which is very farfetched when it is a young teenager sometimes, or a young woman who ended up passing away for not putting out a cigarette.

There is such a feel of realness to this movie, because it is inspired by real moments. The world needs to see this because then maybe more people will understand the protest of the Black Lives Matter movement. It very well could have been a documentary with how real it is. Another fun fact was that in the trail that Queen and Slim follow to try to reach freedom, was that they were going in the opposite direction of the underground railroad. Once that was told, it was a great addition to the history of black people and being racially profiled and dealing with slavery.

It is a new take on the age old, disgusting history that we have with the African American community. I loved this movie and think that it is one needed more now than ever. And as a white individual, though in Canada, it does make me understand to a deeper level the Black Lives Matter movement, and how every black individual may feel when pulled over.

So thank you to the entire team who created this movie. Hopefully, the rest of the world will give it the justice it deserves and hopefully it does help make a change.