Queen of Katwe

WARNING: This review is hidden because it reveals the content of the film.
Click here to show this review. I don’t think “Queen of Katwe” is going to change your life, but what it will do is put you in a good mood. A crowd pleaser, it’s got terrific performances, likable characters and is the perfect picture to give you a breather between the action-packed blockbusters of the summer and the soul-crushing dramas coming up for Oscar season.

Based on a true story, Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga, quite good in her first role) is a 10-year-old girl living in the slums of Uganda. When she learns how to play chess through a missionary program, her teacher Robert Katende (David Oyelowo) notices her uncanny ability to strategize. The film follows her chess-playing career and the plight of her family as they struggle to make ends meet.

This is a sports movie and carries with it all of the appeal of seeing an underdog climb up the ranks all the way to the big game, but with a few notable twists. I think chess is a game that is better suited for a feel-good movie. Anyone can play chess. All you need to do is memorize the rules and practice enough. Football? I’m too skinny; I’d get demolished. Hockey? Not everyone can afford the equipment, or find a skating rink to practice on. As this picture proves, you don’t even need a chess set to figure out how to move pawns, rooks, and bishops. The children of the Katwe slums manage by drawing a board on a box and bending some bottle caps to serve as the pieces. If they can do it, you know you can. The nature of a chess game means games can be condensed to the few last moves before the player exclaims “Check Mate”, meaning the bulk of the film can be dedicated to the characters instead of long gameplay. There’s not really a season or big tournament at the end of the year that Phiona needs to win. The struggle is that she can barely find the time and the resources needed to perfect her game. She and her siblings are selling fruits and vegetables on the streets to make ends meet and they don’t know how to read. If she doesn’t win the coveted title of Chess Master, it could be because she’s simply not good enough. It could also be due to the impossibly heavy shackles that accompany poverty.

One of the reasons I enjoyed the film is due to the characters and the setting. The performances from everyone are very good and completely believable which allows you to immerse yourself into these people’s plight. The film’s set (for the most part) in Uganda so you get to learn about a culture and customs that are different from the ones we’re used to seeing in Hollywood films. I’ll also admit that I found the characters instantly likable due to their charming accents. Little details about Phiona, her family members or her fellow players made me fall in love with them. I may not have grown up poor, but I was able to understand what winning the tournaments meant to these people. They literally have nothing to lose, everything to gain and, all of their opponents look at them with disdain. After all, how could uneducated and poor children from the slums compete with professional players? But that’s the beauty of it. They CAN compete against them because they’re smart and have learned how to strategize.

“Queen of Katwe” is not a big story, but it feels big. It brings up one of my favorite themes in movies, the difference between merely surviving, and living. For the 124 minute running time, you step into this young woman’s shoes and you get a glimpse of what this life is like, a life that’s completely different from your own. Director Mira Nair has brought us a picture that’s only getting a limited release but is worth seeking out. The big pictures, they’ll be in the theater for a long time but if you don’t jump on this picture that shows black actors in dominant roles and in a realistic fashion, it’ll slip through your fingers. More than a sweet story about someone you want to like, “Queen of Katwe” is also a well-made film that features great performances from the entire cast and is guaranteed to leave you with a smile. Stick around for the end credits as well, there are some nice little bits in there you won’t want to miss. (Theatrical version on the big screen, October 9, 2016)