Unfortunately I couldn't make it to the Birds Eye View screening of the film BUT I managed to see it at another cinema. Even so, this film was a perfect example of brilliant filmmaking that needed to be celebrated. Although I am only familiar with a few of her music vidoes, I was very excited to see who the team was behind and in front of the camera. As a feature film debut, Melina Matsoukas, has a calling card that is on topic, at the forfront of the what is happening in the world and a driven character piece that is both understated and visceral at certain moments. With a simple and devastating premise, this story belongs to Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith. They are the catalyst for all the actions in the film, they are the fuel in the fire and most importantly, they are real.
SPOILERS
After a not so successful online date one evening, Slim drives Queen home but on they way they stopped by a cop who unjustifiably questions Slim, demanding his licence and wanting to see what's in the boot of his car. This altercation becomes worse, after the cop points his gun on them. It ends with Queen being shot in the leg and Slim shooting the cop in defence. Knowing the outcome of two black people shooting a white cop in self defence, the two go on the run.
Twisting the lovers on the run trope, as these two people are virutally strangers, and are on the run because they had no choice, we not only get to see their story play out through desparate moments to more tender ones where they actually get to know each other on a deeper and at times bittersweet level; I'm thinking of the scene in the bar where they have a drink and dance together. There are moments in the film when you hope that things will be different this time and just maybe they'll get away. Usually with this genre, the guilty people never get away but in this case the innocent don't either. As the story progresses, the characters are forced to step out of their comfort zones, changing the way they look and dress. They are forced to be the sterotypes that the media plays them out to be rather than the lawyer Queen is and the supermarket clerk Slim is. They're just two normal people forced into an extraordinary situation.
The film is also a mirror of what African-Americans go through every day. What happens at the start of the film is more than the beginning, this what Queen and Slim experience all the time. What's different with their story is that it becomes national interest, a manhunt for them takes place, they are sensationalised and eventually seen as heroes. Of course, now, this is not something out of the ordinary with the recent Black Lives Matter movement which gained momentum in the last few months. Now Queen and Slim's story has become more relevant than ever. This film wasn't given the recognition it deserved, despite being sign posted as many places as possible, but hopefully new audiences will discover it.