A vibrant look at life in Uganda as seen through the eyes of a young chess prodigy.
After Million Dollar Arm, Secretariat, and what I would consider a predictable tale of Walt Disney’s journey to gain the rights to “Mary Poppins” in Saving Mr. Banks, Disney’s managed to pull itself out of their mediocre, live-action rut with its newest film, Queen of Katwe.
Based on “The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl's Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster” by Tim Crothers, Queen of Katwe begins in 2007 and over a handful of years follows Phiona (Madina Nalwanga), a nine-year-old girl living in the Katwe slum of Kampala, Uganda. We meet Phiona selling vegetables in the streets, approaching cars and waving people down on the sidewalks. As one of four children to a widowed mother Nakku (Lupita Nyong’o), it’s up to Phiona and her siblings to make up the financial difference that their mother is unable to pull together on her own. One day, distracted by her brother, Phiona’s curiosity gets the best of her and she follows him to a small church where a group of children are setting up tables for their chess program run by Robert Katende (David Oyelowo). When he catches Phiona peeking through the gaps of the building, Robert calls her in to join the rest of the students. From there, viewers follow Phiona’s journey as she makes a name for herself in the world of chess.
Though the story’s plot centers on chess, the thick of the narrative is based on Phiona’s growth as young girl, living in the slums and embarking on an unconventional path. For Disney, this film is surprisingly serious. Though some of their movies carry an emotionally serious tone, Queen of Katwe touches on topics applicable to few Western viewers and challenges younger audiences to engage with a non-traditional, non-fairytale-like narrative. It’s this approach that makes the film authentic and separates itself from the customary, lighthearted tales of an individual beating the odds, laughing through their journey, and achieving their goals through hard work and dedication. Director Mira Nair integrates the divided social structure within Uganda with its main character living in the slums but competing in cities where students from different financial backgrounds express their disgust and concern of having “diseased” opponents in close proximity to them. Often, Western audiences are given one perspective of Uganda: documentary films on war and poverty like Invisible Children, homosexuality like Call Me Kuchu, and the impact of American religious extremists like God Loves Uganda. Seeing the divide within Uganda that Phiona and the other children experience is one of the film’s most intriguing points.
Another is the choice to not include a savior. Nair steers clear of depicting Robert as Phiona’s rescuer. Robert’s life is simple in comparison to Phiona’s. As he heads home each night to his wife and daughter, somewhere outside of the slum, it’s clear that there is a divide between Robert’s perspective of the world and Phiona’s. This works tremendously well when it comes to Phiona and her mother’s dynamic as well as Nakku and Robert’s. Though she requires her children to help keep a roof over their heads and sometimes acts as a resistant to Phiona’s progress, Nakku is never shown in a negative light. No matter the difference between lifestyles and opportunities, Robert and what he embodies is never cast as a better life. For Phiona, home is wherever her family is.
Cinematographer Sean Bobbitt -- who captured the bright and distinct reds, oranges, yellows, and blues of Uganda, also seen in the title cards, which are a bit of an eyesore and can be compared to early '90s, Saved by the Bell-esque title cards -- depicts the beauty of Phiona’s surroundings without visually overwhelming the audience. A mix of wide shots that film daily activities and the vibrancy of Katwe and Uganda, Bobbitt’s experience as a documentary filmmaker contributed to Nair’s goal of educating audiences on the beauty of Uganda and separating the idea that people living in Ugandan slums are inherently dirty and grotesque. However, the combination of color and music act against the movie. Scored by Alex Heffes, the sound bounces from traditional Ugandan instrument orchestrations to modern Ugandan pop music. Though its intent is to add to Uganda, showcasing its culture and musical contributions, it ends up overwhelming the story and leaves little time to process each distinct element that make up the film.
Queen of Katwe follows the same feel good storyline of Disney movies but in an unconventional way. Nair challenges her viewers by incorporating the differences of growing up in the Katwe slum of Uganda rather than shying away from them to focus on how one young girl managed to find a new path with the help of her own drive and the support of her family and mentor. Though there are cinematic elements that can be off-putting (such as the music and title cards), their intentionality make them easily ignorable.
The Verdict
Queen of Katwe is a step in the right direction for Disney’s sports and live-action films. It centers on a story of one girl without privilege and captures her ability to process her surroundings in order to achieve her dream of becoming a chess master. Mira Nair creates a challenging PG-rated story that both educates and inspires audiences with the help of notable performances and striking cinematography.
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