Queen and Slim

Streaming: HBO
Warnings:
Violence
Sex
Domestic Abuse
Drugs
Explicit Language
Racism
Rating: R

Queen and Slim is a romantic crime drama that centers on a young Black couple who become fugitives after accidentally killing a racist police officer during a traffic stop. Queen and Slim is a modern romance that examines police brutality and what it means to be a Black individual in America. Directed by Melina Matsoukas and written by Lena Waithe based on a story by James Frey and Waithe, the film takes the audience on an unexpected adventure. The film stars Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Chloë Sevigny, Flea, Sturgill Simpson, and Indya Moore. Queen and Slim had its world premiere at the AFI Film Festival and was theatrically released by Universal Pictures. Queen and Slim generally received positive reviews, especially Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith for their lead performances, Waithe’s script and Matsouka’s feature directional debut. The film was nominated for Outstanding Actress, Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Original Score as well as Outstanding Film. Queen and Slim won numerous awards including Best Movie from the BET Awards, Outstanding Emerging Director, Outstanding First Screenplay and Outstanding Production Design from the Black Reel Awards (to name a few). Queen and Slim also did well in the Box office, with a budget of only $20 million, the film grossed $47 million in the Box Office. From the cinematography, the unique yet familiar storyline, and the wonderful musical score, the film was destined to be a hit.

The concept of Queen and Slim is similar to Shakespearean tragedies while also hinting to similarities of Bonnie and Clyde. Along with this combination, the film highlights the issue of police brutality in America and explores what it’s like to be a Black individual targeted by a racist police officer. Kaluuya and Turner-Smith brought this story to life through their impeccable acting. An interesting and important fact about the two characters, according to Waithe, the divergent world views of Ernest (Slim) and Angela (Queen) were based on the differences between Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Both Ernest and Angela are relatable and complex characters, this depiction allows the audience to have a deeper connection with the characters. Queen and Slim also forces the audience to contemplate how probable this situation is for Black individuals in America, which is a necessary conversation to start.

The cinematography is a breathtaking element of the film, it is incredibly well executed and beautiful throughout. Tat Radcliffe executed the cinematography, he is known for such films as ’71, Pride, and Whiteboy Rick, he also has worked on the show Lovecraft Country. Radcliffe plays with color in the film in more ways than one, from muted tones on the countryside, to dramatic hues of blue and red, the cinematography follows the moods of the story in a stunning way. The location of the camera is played with as well, at one point in the film when Angela and Ernest are on the run, the camera is following them in a shot from behind. This makes the audience feel as if they are riding along in the backseat. In another shot, Ernest opens the car door and the camera is attached to the door. These choices are aesthetically pleasing to the eye and psychologically forces the audience to place themselves in the film like a fly on the wall. Tat Radcliffe won Outstanding Cinematography from the Black Reel Awards.

The music and sound editing are something that stood out in Queen and Slim; the music fit well with the scenes and always added to the moment in the film. The score was composed by Devonté Hynes who is an English artist from London. Hynes is also a singer, songwriter, record producer and director. When searching for an artist to compose the musical score for Queen and Slim, Matsoukas stated that she wanted a “Black composer that could live between classical, hip-hop, and pop that’s current.” Matsoukas turned to Solange Knowles for advice, and she suggested Hynes for the role. Queen and Slim won Top Music Film Awards from ASCAP London Awards, Outstanding Original Song from the Black Reel Awards, and was nominated for Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album from the NAACP Image Awards.

Queen and Slim is a heartbreaking film that doesn’t stray away from the traumatic truth of what its likes to be Black in America. It also highlights issues with police brutality and what the Black Lives Matter movement is working towards. Throughout their journey the characters meet a variety people, their interactions expose different opinions of the American people about police brutality which is an impactful part of the story. Overall, this film is remarkable, a tragedy and something that forces the audience to think outside of themselves. This is a necessary film especially because of the conversation it starts about police brutality in the United States. I highly recommend this film for an evening you wish to view an introspective dramatic romance.

Moonlight

Streaming: Netflix (With Subscription)
Warnings:
Drugs
Sex
Violence
Explicit Language
Rating: R

Moonlight is a coming-of-age drama written and directed by Barry Jenkins, based on the play by Tarell Alvin McCraney (McCraney also co-wrote the script for the film). The film won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Moonlight follows a young man struggling with his identity and sexuality while he experiences a difficult childhood and adolescence, his struggle develops into a troubled adulthood and the film beautifully portrays these different stages of his life. Since the film is based on a play, the story is also divided like a play, however the acting isn’t similar to theater acting whatsoever. Moonlight stars Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe, Asthon Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali. Moonlight is cited as one of the best films of the 21st century. It became the first film with an all-black cast and the first LGBTQ related film to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Joi McMillon also became the first Black woman to be nominated for an editing Oscar and Mahershala Ali became the first Muslim to win an acting Oscar. There are many wonderful elements to this film but focusing on the acting, the cinematography and the music as well as sound editing will better capture how stunning Moonlight is.

            Mahershala Ali plays Juan, who is a positive role model for young Chiron and the perfect example of positive masculinity for him to look up to. Ali won Best Supporting Actor and received numerous other awards and nominations for his role. Ali was magnificent in his role, but all three actors who played Chiron are also incredibly impressive. Alex Hibbert plays child Chiron, Ashton Sanders played teen Chiron, and Trevante Rhodes plays adult Chiron, each actor brought a new perspective and insight into the personality of the character. Trevante Rhodes completely captured the transition after teenage Chiron, now a handsome adult but still just as insecure. Kevin, who is Chiron’s closest friend is played by three phenomenal actors as well, Jaden Piner plays child Kevin, Jharrel Jerome plays Teen Kevin, and André Holland plays Adult Kevin. The combination of these actors together truly stole the show; the casting is especially well thought out because the transition through characters is convincing. It is not at all surprising how many awards Moonlight won; it was certainly well deserved.

            The cinematography was executed by James Laxton, known for If Beal Street Could Talk, Tusk, and Camp X-Ray. Moonlight had a relatively low budget of 1.5 million dollars, Laxton and Jenkins had to become more creative with the resources they had. This challenged them to work through a lens of contemporary filmmaking and ingenuity that blossomed into a bold cinematic masterpiece. The cinematography is at times entrancing like a dream and at other times shocking like a horror film. There are scenes in the film where the colors are gloomy yet captivating, drawing the audience into the scene further. Other times the lens has a soft focus, highlighting the delicacy of the moment and allowing the acting to take over the scene. Laxton won his first Academy Award for Moonlight along with an Independent Spirit Award.

            Along with the beautiful imagery, the score is also attention grabbing. The score skillfully accompanies the cinematography in a way that enhances the story, every single track in the film is purposeful and fits the scene perfectly. Nicholas Britell composed the score for Moonlight and applied a chopped and screwed technique from hip hop to orchestral music to produce a fluid score that is also bass heavy. Moonlight won an Academy Award for Best Original Score as well as a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score in the Motion Picture category. The score was praised by the New York Times to be “both surprising and perfect.” The score was also described as, “… an enthralling collection of music that will linger in your mind and in your heart in much the same way as the film.” Attention to detail combined with a determined effort allowed many elements of the film to flourish and it is evident that the music had a significant role in making Moonlight amazing.

            Moonlight broke many barriers in Hollywood and allowed a story to be told that hasn’t ever been told in the past. This film is monumental because it allows BIPOC (Black, indigenous People of Color) and LGBTQ individuals know that they have a place in mainstream media; not only can they break those barriers, but they can also win awards while doing so. The acting, cinematography and the music combined, created such a breathtaking film that the audience couldn’t ignore it. This film is heartbreaking, thought-provoking as well as an extraordinary story and hopefully it is just the beginning of this type of representation in mainstream media.