A couple’s first date takes an unexpected turn when a police officer pulls them over.
Director Melina Matsoukas knows her way around a script. Having produced and directed HBO’s highly successful “Insecure” as well as Beyonce’s “Formation” video, we should not be the least bit worried about the two-time Grammy award winner when it comes to debuting a feature film. In addition to this, transforming the written work of Lena Waithe, also an Emmy Winner (Netflix), had to be pure ecstasy from a creative standpoint.
When the movie opens, it only takes a few life-altering moments at a superficial traffic stop to change the direction of Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim’s (Daniel Kaluuya) lives forever. A white officer pulls over the black couple who had been on their first date and barely knew each other and he immediately begins to inflect a sense of superiority into the situation as Slim tries innocently to figure out why he was stopped and why the officer seems like he has something to prove. When it appears as if Slim is asking too many questions about the instructions he has been given, the officer orders him out of the car. Queen, who has waited patiently inside the vehicle becomes very uncomfortable with the treatment and lets the officer know she is an attorney and that he is out of line. The entire plot unravels when Queen steps out of the vehicle in order to better access the situation and suddenly there is a struggle between Slim and the officer, which ends with the officer being fatally wounded. Queen, in her regal calmness, immediately takes control of the situation by suggesting they leave the officer there and get the hell out of dodge.
The film begins to take on an entirely different level of seriousness as the two who barely know each other become instant partners in crime. Miles down the road, Slim is still processing what happened while Queen is developing a sense of solidarity in their actions as well as a defense. She says that if they can make it to her Uncle Earl’s (Bokeem Woodbine) house, then he will be able to provide them with resources that will extend their possibilities. When they finally make it to Earl’s house, Queen reminds him that he owes her and not wanting to be involved is not an option. With that said, Earl provides all the tools they need to get to a place of safety and everything goes smoothly until one link of the chain decides to break. Just when Queen and Slim get to the point where they can catch one last flight to a future of possibilities, it all comes abruptly to a halt.
While there are many comparisons to “Set It Off” and “Thelma & Louise,” this film is unique in its ability to thrive due to the development of a love story that is fueled by the emotions of compassionate victims of circumstance. The collective writings of Lena Waithe and James Frey set the tone for director Melina Matsoukas to work with elements of our current reality with regard to racism and disparate treatment, and how to approach the known versus the unknown. Through each encounter Queen and Slim had, there were willing participants that understood their struggle and admired their ability to keep going forward in spite of the obstacles they faced with each other and with the world we live in. Daniel Kaluuya, known for his breakout role in “Get Out,” is outstanding in his role as a simple man, with a simple job and a simple, reaffirming existence. Jodie-Turner Smith is the epitome of regalness as she lavishes in the role of an attorney who knows her stuff, yet at the same time is very uneasy when it comes to allowing a man to get under her skin and into her heart. The two make a compelling couple who are each other’s “Ride or Die” without ever conforming to the realm of their expectations of one another or for the jacked-up, racially-biased world they live in.
In Theaters Wednesday, November 27th
