New Movie Queen and Slim Sparks Discussion

By: Rafeeat Bishi

           When I first saw the trailer for the crime-movie Queen and Slim I was excited. The actors looked promising and so did the premise.

         But after watching the trailer a few times, I found myself rolling my eyes. Mainly because the basis of the story was two Black adults on the run from the law after killing a cop who stopped them wrongfully.

         When we see Black characters, a lot of us prepare to see poverty, death, slavery or injustice. The same thing goes for other races. When we see Native characters, we prepare to see stereotypes of tribes, or watered down interactions with White imperialists. When we see non-Black Latinos, we prepare to see Gang violence, drugs, housekeepers, and poverty. When we see Asian characters, we see mousy, education oriented East Asians, and for Southeast Asians we see convenience store owners or gas station workers. When we Arabs, we see terrorists. The list goes on and on.


          I wish I could watch a space movie with Black characters and not have to fear for when their death scene is coming. Queen and Slim was intriguing but then I remembered it would only end one way. Them in jail. Or dead. 

          Some Black people on Twitter discussed how they found these stories to be triggering. For example, the movie 12 Years a Slave. Which is absolutely true. Seeing your people be oppressed and dehumanized is not entertaining. Especially if you're living it. Why should you be subject to watching something that you already know about? '

         I felt the same way about When They See Us. I was unable to watch it all the way through because I found it mentally draining

          People say "these stories need to be told" and are "required viewing". Which is absolutely true. But they don't need to be told to the people who live that experience everyday. Should they be made? Yes. Art imitates life. But if other races can get a variety of films in the same year, why can't we? White people can have a hard-hitting drama one week, Harry Potter the next week, and a superhero movie the week after. This is why it was a big deal when Black Panther, Us, Searching, Crazy Rich Asians, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse came out (can I just say spider-verse is the best movie ever pls go watch it it's on Netflix).

         It's important that while younger generations understand their reality, they are also able to see themselves in a different light. These films are only required viewing for those who can not relate or are uneducated on the nuances of these situations.  

        On a happier note, a romance film called The Photograph with two Black actors is coming out in February. It does not look like it's based off of the sad injustices in America.