We are aware that every child and parent in the slums must wonder how they can possibly break the cycle of poverty to get out. This depressing lifestyle sets the scene for a welcome adventure in the chess world. At one point in the film, the family is evicted with no grace period and forced to sleep rough. Phiona’s father died of HIV and Nakku is focussed on paying the rent for their hovel. Her older daughter, Night (Taryn “Kay” Kyaze) is kept by an older man and Harriet has all but disowned her. When Harriet learns that Phiona has a boyfriend, she angers the young girl by chasing him away. Phiona has dropped out of school as her mother Nakku Harriet (Nyong’o), who sells vegetables at market, cannot afford the fees. The sense of place is an integral part of the film and it begins with a sweeping shot of the bustling main street where Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga), age 10, sells maize out of a basket. Katwe is a shantytown on the outskirts of the city of Kampala, where Nair has had a home for the past 25 years. It is the strength of the performances, from Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o ( 12 Years a Slave) as Phiona’s mother right down to the secondary characters that makes Queen of Katwe such an uplifting and enjoyable experience. The clichés of the genre are all present, and the matches are less gripping that we would expect, but the film has such a big heart that you hardly notice. Now Mira Nair, ( Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding), returns to Kampala, Uganda, the setting of her 1991 film Mississippi Masala, with the story of Uganda’s first female chess master, Phiona Mutesi.
This year alone we’ve had half a dozen, including The Man who knew Infinity (Indian maths prodigy at Cambridge) Race (the Jesse Owens story) The Idol (Palestinian wins The Arab Idol singing competition) and, next month, Magnus, (Chess Grandmaster at age 13). That almost all of these films are based on true stories and follow an inevitable pattern usually results in a formulaic, if inspirational, film.
TRAILER FOR QUEEN OF KATWE MOVIE
PG, 121 min.Įvery few months it seems there is another movie about an underdog who excels in some activity and who overcomes a myriad of obstacles to defeat the naysayers and the privileged. Joyce Glasser reviews Queen of Katwe (October 21, 2016) Cert.
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