Nalwanga, in her debut, is terrific and demonstrates an unexpected natural ability for a first-time performer. Madina Nalwanga stars as Phiona Mutesi, a teenage girl who can barely afford the food on her back but who, with the assistance of those around her, learns to play chess-and more importantly, discovers that she kicks some major ass at the game. It’s not so artistically brave to be anywhere close to groundbreaking, but it is a solid, entertaining piece of filmmaking nonetheless. And don't leave before the credits end because they climax with a terrific performance by the groups whose music makes up the film's Afrobeat soundtrack.Now available on Blu-ray and DVD ( Buy on Amazon)Ī beautifully made and wonderfully acted drama that will make you feel good from beginning to checkmate, Queen of Katwe is a true-life story of slums and chess that, while uplifting in the way Disney movies tend to be, feels more real and earnest than most similar “sports” dramas the studio has put out in recent years.ĭirected by Mira Nair ( Monsoon Wedding), is a rich, vivid film that presents its rags-to-riches tale in a way that doesn’t make you roll your eyes and that thrives on some very strong performances by its talented cast. And while she's delighted when Katende gets Phiona and her brother into school, she's hurt when Phiona moves in with Katende and his schoolteacher wife for a while so she can concentrate on both her chess and her education.Īll this means that when the feelgood finish rolls round, you feel it's been fully earned. Try as she might, she can't quite see how the demands and disciplines of a board game can lead to a money-making career in a world where nothing is achieved without muscle and sweat. As Harriet, Nyong'o, who grew up in Kenya, is indelibly beautiful but she abandons all hint of Hollywood glamour to infuse her performance with a convincing pugnacity underlined with desperation. It's also punctuated by her clashes with her mother. There's poetry in the contrast between the formalities and hesitations of their speech patterns and the uninhibited vibrancy of their body language. If anything, the fact that English is not their first language enhances their appeal. But she's surrounded by adolescent extroverts who just have to hear a few bars of music for their shoulders and hips to start shaking. Credit:Edward Echwalu/DisneyĪs you might expect, given Phiona's ability to plan eight chess moves at a time, Nalwanga gives us a thoughtful, self-composed character with a strong need to succeed. Lupita Nyong'o ( 12 Years a Slave) plays Phiona's widowed mother, Harriet, who's eking out a living for herself and her four children by selling vegetables on the street, and David Oyelowo ( Selma) is Robert Katende, the youth worker who not only teaches Phiona chess but also possesses the persistence and the chutzpah to persuade the game's officials to allow a team of unschooled slum kids to compete in their first tournament.Ĭhutzpah: David Oyelowo plays Robert Katende, a youth worker who helps Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga) pursue an education and success as a chess player. Neighbours help one another when they can but for most of the time they're too busy keeping their own lives together to give a thought to anyone else's. Her cast is largely made up of locals and she filmed much of the action in and around Katwe, giving us a place where people live cheek by jowl, which doesn't necessarily mean that they share a close sense of community. Nair has invested the story with too much of the hum and bustle of African street life for that. The good news is Disneyfication is not a factor. Yes, unlike Salaam Bombay!, the film can be summed up by that tired word "aspirational" – which is why Disney got behind it. Credit:Edward Echwalu/Disneyīased on fact, it's the story of Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga), a teenage chess prodigy lucky enough to come across a sympathetic adult with the time and the determination to help her realise her talent.
The two struggle to reconcile the realities of life with the urge to follow dreams. At odds: Lupita Nyong'o plays the mother of Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga).
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