After the teaser for the upcoming Queen & Slim dropped during this year's BET Awards, many have been waiting with bated breath for the official trailer. Well, now's your time to dive into the essence of Melina Matsoukas and Lena Waithe's opus.
The film follows the titular Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya), who go on an epic journey after a ho-hum Tinder date turns into a dead officer of the law. It takes them through Midwestern America, encountering a cast of characters like Bokeem Woodbine, Chloë Sevigny, and more, as the battle lines are drawn: are you riding for Queen & Slim or are they true menaces to society?
After visiting the New Orleans Queen & Slim set earlier this year, I'd been itching to see more of this film, and during a special press presentation for this trailer, we were also allowed to see the first ~12 minutes of the film (which had previously been screened during Essence Festival). Needless to say, it was everything I'd wanted, and more. The film throws you right into Queen & Slim's date; sitting in a diner that feels like home for Slim but totally beneath Queen, you get a great glimpse of each of their personalities. You also fully understand why Waithe called Queen the Malcolm X to Slim's Martin. From the colors used to the shots atop (and inside) of the car while they drive home, Melina's showing and proving why she's been receiving so much praise for her work as a director. It's a film that brings the intensity early, and is sure to be a wild ride throughout.
Queen & Slim hits theaters this Thanksgiving. Check out the official trailer up above, and the poster below.
