Some friends and I had a Twitter chat to discuss the movie Queen and Slim which is opening into theaters in U.S. theaters on 11/26. I was personally really excited chat with other film lovers about this movie. Having just come off of a trip to Los Angeles where diversity was the topic at hand in most of my conversations, I was ready to dive int chatting about this one. I am a fan of Lena Waithe and cannot wait to see the film. Look back through Twitter to see more of our conversation (#MyMovieChat) and feel free to join in any time!
So what did we talk about?
The filmmakers:
This is the debut feature film for Melina Matsoukas, who has previously directed music videos & TV episodes. She previously won two Grammy Awards for Beyoncé’s “Formation” video and Rihanna’s “We Found Love”.
Lena Waithe is an accomplished, admired writer, and performer. She won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (for “Master it None”) making her the first black woman to win an Emmy for writing in a comedy series.
Can I take a pause to say that when a little “like” came up on a subtweet to answer this question my heart stopped dead. It was an honor to see LENA WAITHE was watching us chat about her wonderful work! Dang I love Twitter sometimes!
Queen and Slim (the actors):
Did you know: “Queen” & “Slim” character’s names in the film? British actor and Academy Award nominee Daniel Kaluuya is “Slim” in the film and though he has been performing since childhood he is mostly known for starring in the movie “Get Out” in 2017. Queen and Slim is rising star Jodie Turner-Smith’s first major film role playing “Queen.” She has made a name for herself as a model and on the small screen on that otherGeorge R.R. Martin TV series SYFY’s “Nightflyers”.
Bonus: Near the end of the film, their names are finally revealed: Angela and Eugene.
The soundtrack:
The music takes on a life if it’s one and becomes another character with Queen and Slim on their journey. Soundtracks are a lost art in many ways. A good soundtrack album used to be a thing. Something on it’s own that has it’s own story to tell. This film aims to recapture that.
Speaking of music, have you heard the new Lauryn Hill song for the film?! Do yourself a favor, take a moment to listen to it. What are your thoughts? This song actually has been around a while, and she has performed it live in concerts. Once she saw the film she agreed that it should be part of the movie and have not only her blessing, but a new recording of it. Click here to check it out.
Queen and Slim opens in U.S. theaters on 11/26/19. It is 132 minutes long and is rated R for violence, some strong sexuality, nudity, pervasive language, and brief drug use.
About Queen And Slim:
From two-time Grammy award winning director Melina Matsoukas, the visionary filmmaker behind this generation’s most powerful pop-culture experiences, including HBO’s Insecure, the Emmy award-winning “Thanksgiving” episode of Netflix’s Master of None, and Beyonce‘s “Formation,” and from trailblazing, Emmy-winning writer Lena Waithe (Netflix’s Master of None), comes the 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 Set It Off 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.
The feature-film directorial debut from Melina Matsoukas (executive producer/director of HBO’s Insecure) stars Academy Award® nominee Daniel Kaluuya as “Slim” and rising star Jodie Turner-Smith (Syfy’s Nightflyers), as “Queen.” Waithe wrote the screenplay from a story by herself and bestselling author James Frey (A Million Little Pieces, Katerina).
The film is produced by Frey, Waithe, Matsoukas, Michelle Knudsen, Andrew Coles, Brad Weston and Pamela Abdy. The executive producers are Pamela Hirsch, Kaluuya, Aaron L. Gilbert, Jason Cloth, Reginald Cash, Angelo Pullen, David Krintzman and Guymon Casady.
Universal Pictures and Makeready present Queen & Slim in association with 3BlackDot and Bron Creative, a Makeready/De La Revolución Films/Hillman Grad/3BlackDot production. Universal Pictures will distribute the film worldwide, with eOne handling distribution in select territories including the U.K. and Canada.
