The new Queen & Slim trailer offers a closer look at Melina Matsoukas’ socially conscious drama-thriller. Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) and Jodie Turner-Smith (Nightflyers) star in the film as a couple on an otherwise uneventful first date who’re forced to go on the run after the former shoots a police officer in self-defense. Serving as Matsoukas’ feature debut as director, Queen & Slim has been generating buzz since its first-look teaser dropped during the BET Awards in June. It has since been selected to make its world premiere at the AFI Fest in mid-November.

Written by Lena Waithe (from a story she co-wrote with James Frey), Queen & Slim is the second project Waithe and Matsoukas have collaborated on after the Emmy-winning Master of None episode, “Thanksgiving”. Matsoukas is also known for her visually lyrical efforts on music videos like “We Found Love” and “Formation”, as well as HBO’s comedy series Insecure, and the Queen & Slim marketing has so far indicated she took a similarly poetic approach to her first movie. That remains the case with the latest trailer.

Universal released the second trailer for Queen & Slim online today, following the BET Awards first look and official trailer (which arrived in July). You can check it out below.

More than the previous trailers, this new Queen & Slim promo focuses on the film’s thriller aspects, as its leads find themselves on the run and struggling to keep a low profile after a recording of their “incident” goes viral. The movie’s updated synopsis compares it to past hits like Thelma & Louise and Set It Off, in the sense that Queen & Slim (like them) examines social issues through a blend of genre tropes and relationship drama. Queen & Slim also brings last year’s Widows to mind for the same reasons, especially in the way it appears to handle hot topics like police brutality, modern-day racism, and the traumatic effects of violence. The fact that Kaluuya played a supporting role in that film only makes the comparison all the more appropriate.

Overall, the latest footage continues to make Queen & Slim look like a promising addition to the greater tradition of socially-aware thrillers, and even seems to tap into Matsoukas’ music video background in the way its blends lively music with vivid imagery. The film’s supporting cast is equally deserving of a shout-out, with Chloë Sevigny, Bokeem Woodbine, and Pose star Indya Moore joined by the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea and his fellow musician-actor Sturgill Simpson. Assuming Queen & Slim is well-received at the AFI Fest, it might yet have a shot at going toe to toe with the other buzzed-about movies scheduled to arrive in late November.

Source: Universal Pictures

  • Queen and Slim Release Date: 2019-11-27