BLAZING a TRAIL
A God-fearing, unambitious Costco employee named Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) sits down opposite a cynical lawyer named Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith), who’s had a bad day at work. As he drives her home, it doesn’t look like they’ll see each other again. But then a white police officer pulls them over, and the situation erupts into violence. Queen and Slim go on the run, pursued by the law and forced together, gradually realising they have much more in common than they initially thought.
A protest movie made in reaction to numerous recent incidents of police brutality against African Americans, Queen & Slim is unpredictable, gripping and vital. Which makes it all the more impressive that three of the key players responsible for bringing it to the screen are, in relative terms, Hollywood newbies. It’s the debut movie of director Melina Matsoukas, previously best known for a series of visually striking music videos, including several for Beyoncé. It’s based on the first film screenplay by Lena Waithe, creator of Master Of None (for which Matsoukas has directed two episodes) and sidekick in Ready Player One . And it features the first starring performance by the UK-born Jodie Turner-Smith (in 2017’s Newness , she was credited only as ‘Statueseque Woman’).
THE START: A TINDER DATE. AND NOT A PROMISING ONE.
Completing the quartet is Daniel Kaluuya, a newly minted movie star hot offand . Each of them poured their heart and soul into , ensuring it remained uncompromising from script to screen. sat down with the foursome on a hot November afternoon in LA to find out how they got it on the road.
