Universal Pictures has released the first trailer for the fascinating upcoming film Queen & Slim. The movie hails from a story idea by James Frey (yes, the Million Little Pieces guy) that was then written as a screenplay by The Chi creator Lena Waithe, and it tackles incredibly incendiary subject matter: the killing of a police officer by an African-American male. Daniel Kaluuya and newcomer Jodie Turner-Smith star as a black couple on a first date who are pulled over for a minor traffic violation, only for the situation to escalate as Kaluuya’s character kills the cop in self-defense. In fear for their lives and how this situation will be interpreted by others, the two decide to go on the run.
In the wrong hands, this premise is a disaster. But this trailer shows a keen understanding of all the nuances of this kind of situation, and I love the idea of the shooting serving as the inciting incident, as we the audience then follow the story of the two individuals on the run. There’s definitely a Bonnie and Clyde and Thelma & Louise vibe running through here.
The movie serves as the feature directorial debut of Melina Matsoukas, who helmed episodes of Insecure and Master of None (including the Waithe-penned “Thanksgiving”) as well as a number of music videos including Beyonce’s “Formation.” This would be a provocative, compelling trailer regardless, but the fact that this is a major release from Universal Pictures makes it all the more impressive. From the studio that released Green Book, no less!
Check out the Queen & Slim trailer below. The film opens in theaters on November 27th.
Here’s the official synopsis for Queen & Slim:
From trailblazing, Emmy-winning writer Lena Waithe (Netflix’s Master of None) and Melina Matsoukas, the visionary director of some of this generation’s most powerful pop-culture experiences, including Beyonce’s “Formation” and the Nike “Equality” campaign, comes Makeready’s unflinching new drama, Queen & Slim.
While on a forgettable first date together in Ohio, a black man (Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya) and a black woman (Jodie Turner-Smith, in her first starring feature-film role), are pulled over for a minor traffic infraction. The situation escalates, with sudden and tragic results, when the man kills the police officer in self-defense. Terrified and in fear for their lives, the man, a retail employee, and the woman, a criminal defense lawyer, are forced to go on the run. But the incident is captured on video and goes viral, and the couple unwittingly become a symbol of trauma, terror, grief and pain for people across the country.
As they drive, these two unlikely fugitives will discover themselves and each other in the most dire and desperate of circumstances, and will forge a deep and powerful love that will reveal their shared humanity and shape the rest of their lives.
Joining a legacy of films such as Bonnie and Clyde and Thelma & Louise, Queen & Slim is a powerful, consciousness-raising love story that confronts the staggering human toll of racism and the life-shattering price of violence.
