Screenwriter Lena Waithe and director Melia Matsoukas have both described their maiden feature film Queen & Slim as a meditation on blackness. The truth be told, it is that and so much more. Queen & Slim is a beautiful work of art which explored the black experience, particularly in the United States, but this could be anywhere in the black world.

The film dissects a very human experience between a young black couple played by the brilliant Academy Award-nominated actor Daniel Kaluuya and débutante Jodie Turner Smith. Both are on a date which is not going well. As he is taking her home they get pulled over by the police and a series of unfortunate events leads to the situation escalating and the law man is shot and killed. The twosome must now run to save their lives. As they take to the road what unfolds is an experience which holds the viewer to the very end of the two-hour long cinematic odyssey.

Waithe says Queen & Slim is not to be watched but experienced, and rightly so, as what she and Matsoukas have put on celluloid is a history lesson, an art installation, entertainment and food for thought all wrapped in a wonderful bundle.

Kaluuya in a treat to watch on screen from the very first frames. The British actor with Ugandan roots became known to many with his award-winning role in Jordan Peele’s 2017 box office hit Get Out. In Queen & Slim, Kaluuya brings his intense acting chops to the role and is absolutely convincing. His use of his eyes to convey emotion and offer a glimpse into the life of the character is noteworthy.

One cannot miss the stunning beauty of leading lady Turner Smith. The British-born actress, who is of Jamaican parentage, commands every minute of screen time, as she showcases the brash, determined attorney who is on the run.

The easy-going, yet compelling dialogue of Queen & Slim is a gem. Waithe really sank her teeth into this to produce something that is authentic and poetic, yet simple and relatable.

Like the language no effort was spared to present this work in a most beautiful way. The lighting of both lead actors could not be missed. It showcased their melanin-rich skin in a way Hollywood is often unable to capture and added to the look and feel of the final product.

The themes of oppression, alienation, love and racism continue your head long after the lights come on and you have left the cinema. But that was clearly the intent of this beautiful mediation on blackness and more.