TD 1
Queen & Slim Director: Melina Matsoukas Talent: D
aniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Chloë Sevigny, Flea Release: 31 January Waves Director: Trey Edward Shults Talent: Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lucas Hedges, Taylor Russell, Alexa Demie Release: 17 January A black Bonnie & Clyde? In her directorial debut, the director best known for her Formation video for Beyoncé delivers a terrific update on outsmarting and outrunning the cops. Slim (Kaluuya) meets Queen (Turner-Smith) on a Tinder date in Cleveland. Whilst dropping her home and teasing out the possibilities of their nascent relationship, they are pulled over on a minor traffic violation. An unduly aggressive white cop brings all his prejudices to bear escalating tensions. A gun goes off, the cop is dead. “You ain’t going nowhere. We’re in this together,” says Queen. Drawing on the litany of incidents which led to the Black Lives Matter movement, Matsoukas brings us on a road trip through the South. Seeking safe houses and connections, Queen and Slim become part of a national manhunt. Their encounters shed scintillating light on the mood of a nation. They are thrust into becoming unwitting martyrs for the repression and disrespect of a race. Matsoukas brings her commercial pop flair to each frame. However, the strength of the screenplay by Lena Waithe prevents it tipping into a style-over-substance affair. They encounter the young gasoline pump attendant who offers a glimpse into the mindset of NRA apologists and lone shooters. “What is it about holding a deadly weapon that makes you feel so alive?” There’s the honky-tonk blues bar which turns a supportive blind-eye to their presence. Bolstered by a sublime soundtrack helmed by Dev Hynes, Queen & Slim is dripping in cool jewels, yet anchored in morals and insights, throwing a nation into sharp relief. Lauryn Hill even steps up with fantastic new track Guarding the Gates. Bar one slightly over-egged moment juxtaposing a protest march with the protagonists, Matsoukas delivers a minor masterpiece, at once sexy and considered with the freshest of edges. Jodie Turner-Smith is a revelation and Kaluuya clocks in another sterling performance. Matsoukas got this. Amen. MMD “I won’t let you down. You won’t let me down. I won’t let my folks down. I won’t let my coach down. I cannot be taken down, I am a new machine.” The third feature from writer/director Trey Edward Shults (Krisha, It Comes at Night), Waves tells the story of a family encountering tragedy and possible dissolution. Set against the insta-filtered amber hues of the Florida coast, Shults uses a claustrophobic camera and shifts in aspect ratio to create a sense of foreboding as Tyler (Harrison Jr.) trains for wrestling competitions under the watchful eye of his father. Sterling K. Brown is exceptional in the role of Ronald, pushing his son while holding back the frustration that he can’t just crack open his head and get in and steer. As injury threatens and his relationship with girlfriend Alexis (Demie) takes a turn, Tyler’s life begins to fall apart. Harrison Jr. gives a nuanced performance as the knuckle-headed teen, as he says the wrong things and takes the pill that’s one too many. The film is occasionally darkly funny in observing teen life, be it arguments conducted over text (complete with ‘duck’ typos) or the social media stalking before any first date. Their relationship ends in violence, and in the aftermath the film switches focus to Tyler’s younger sister Emily (Russell), as she navigates the wreckage and takes refuge in a new friendship with the endearingly dopey Luke (Hedges). The soundtrack, featuring Kendrick, Kanye, Fuck Buttons and Radiohead, tends to overdo the record drops in this second half, with one particularly awkward use of Animal Collective. But in its more subtle moments of connection, Waves is a moving meditation on how we all let everybody down, most regularly ourselves. But to love is to forgive, and to forgive is to begin to heal. MA 67