19 most anticipated films by women in 2019

PLAYA VISTA, CA – DECEMBER 02: Melina Matsoukas attends The Teen Vogue Summit LA: Keynote Conversation with A Wrinkle In Time director Ava Duvernay and actresses Rowan Blanchard and Storm Reid on December 2, 2017 in Playa Vista, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Teen Vogue )

Queen & Slim (Nov. 27)

The Plot: A couple’s (Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith) first date takes an unexpected turn when they’re pulled over by a police officer.

Director Melina Matsoukas is better known for her numerous music videos, most prominently Beyonce’s Lemonade concept album. She eventually transitioned to television, helming episodes of Insecure and Netflix’s Master of None, before segueing to film with Queen & Slim. The script comes courtesy of actress, producer, and screenwriter Lena Waithe, and outside of that not much is known.

The mystery of the premise itself is exciting, as it’s unclear what tone Queen & Slim is going to strike. Is this like Get Out where things are violent and frightening? Will it be an introspective look at race and relationships and thus more of a drama? It’s still unknown, but there are plenty of roads the story could go down.

The cast here is fantastic, being led by Oscar-nominee Daniel Kaluuya, who’s shown us his range over the last year and a half. He played the good boyfriend manipulated by people who literally sought to steal his body in Jordan Peele’s Get Out, and followed that up by playing a psychopath in Widows. Turner-Smith is known to fans of the series Nightflyers and The Last Ship.

There’s so much about this movie that intrigues, and between this and Us earlier in the year, I’m happy going in cold to a movie.