Queen and Slim Movie Analysis | Themes and Meaning Explained

Queen & Slim is a testament of our current times. The film captures deeply rooted emotional sentiments of African Americans and minorities in the US today; fear, anxiety, anger, but also compasion, hope, and love. Both inclinations are explored in the film by personifying them in the protagonists, the supporting characters, their environments, and the situations that unfold throughout their journey.  

Now before we dive into this analysis, if you still haven’t watched the movie, I HIGHLY suggest you bookmark this post and come back to it once you’ve seen the film. I’m gonna be addressing points that will spoil the story. And trust me, you will be so much happier if you go into the film blind and form your own opinion first.  

So let’s start by exploring the major undercurrent that sparks the story; systemic racism and prejudice.

After Queen & Slim’s run-in with a cop, it doesn’t take long before the police video of the incident becomes viral. As the couple seeks refuge from the inevitable consequences, a nationwide movement in their support begins to surface. Although not everyone agrees with the couple’s actions, the movement seems to spread in popularity due to the resonating and shared understanding of the injustices in the criminal system. Those in support of the couple sympathize with their situation and recognize that at any given moment, they might be forced to endure a similar fate. 

The couple's predicament isn’t a far-fetched idea. As we’ve seen time and again, particularly in recent years, there’s a growing disdain for police brutality and abuse of authority especially targeted towards “minorities” and people of color. There are hundreds if not thousands of incidents each day around the country where people are profiled and harassed by police for the sheer fact they found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

People of color have been experiencing these prejudices since the birth of this nation. It’s only in recent decades with the advancement of technology and connectivity that people have been able to capture and share these injustices on a mass scale. With all of that being said, there’s a shared and unfortunately expected understanding that if you are a minority or person of color in this country, you need to be especially cautious when it comes to encounters with the law. 

The point of this film isn’t to stigmatize all officers or law enforcement as “evil” or racist. Instead, the film exists to continue shedding light on the reality that so many people in this country endure; the daily anxieties and animosities they harbor because they’ve been made to feel “less than” solely based on their appearance and background.         

It’s these prejudices that create anger and ignite action, although the action that stems can often be more detrimental than good.

In the middle of their sojourn, Queen and Slim meet overly ambitious and  emotionally charged Junior, their car mechanic’s son. The couple tries reasoning with the teenager, assuring he’s important and meaningful because of his existence. But Junior is convinced he needs to do more to be acknowledged and remembered.   

In the midst of a demonstration turned violent, he seeks redemption by killing an innocent police officer. Junior believes the only way he can make a difference, level the injustice, and hold some power and control over the crushing weight of marginalization and oppression is by resorting to extreme action.

People become “extremists” because they feel they have no voice, hold no power, and lack a sense of control. Their actions might not necessarily align with their personal morals but they’re willing to take sacrificial actions for the sake of preserving their sense of freedom, their security, and their sense of identity and worth. He’s the personification of what happens under long-term oppression. 

His decision to murder someone is indefensible and even under these charged situations, these types of extremist acts are ungrounded. But what we fail to examine as a society are the basis and reasons for why these events are happening with more and more frequency. These outcomes are consequences of systemic racism and prejudice.   

Simultaneous to the protest though, there’s a parallel narrative unfolding; one of love. 

While the world around them continues to fight for freedom and justice, the protagonists are forced to retreat. What differentiates the main characters is their choice to turn their traumas into catalysts for healing. 

Although they were forced to take violent actions for the sake of their safety, they don't consider violence to be equal retribution for injustices. Now on the run, the characters must face their own morals, prejudices, and existential turmoils in the face of the incident. They must come to terms with the situation and the circumstances that brought them there. Forced to coexist and rely on one another, they begin forming a bond that turns into a romance. In the process of falling in love, they reexamine their perceived flaws and traumas. What ultimately stems is a kind of inner healing. Their livelihoods are uncertain, but despite the instability, they vow to keep running for the sake of preserving their freedom.

In essence, they choose love as their form of protest. And if they can’t have the liberty to love and heal themselves and one another, they’d rather not be in this world at all. 

At its core, I believe the film is about freedom. Maintaining and seeking freedom from societal bondage and one's own limitations; seeking freedom from prejudice, racism, and systemic oppression. And to that point, the protest/ love making scene epitomizes the ways in which people choose to pursue their freedom; either through coercion and anger or connection and love.    

They weren’t able to escape systemic injustice, but they were willing to stand for truth and sacrifice themselves for their freedom. And in that process, they achieved liberation.