Uganda has never been this impoverished, crowded yet beautful and magical in Queen of Katwe, the latest Disney true to life sports underdog movie that brings us to this African country that we barely know nothing about.
The film is all about Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga in her film debut), one of the many impoverished children living in the slums of Katwe in the capital city of Kampala. She and her siblings help their mother Harriet (Lupita Nyong'o in a brilliant luminous performance that proves her Oscar winning performance in 12 Years A Slave ain't a one-hit wonder) sell maize on the streets. It will all change when Phiona meets an out-of-work engineer Robert Katende (David Oyelowo still in a saintly performance after portraying Martin Luther King in Selma) who coaches soccer to kids in the area. He introduces chess to kids who wants to dabble in a less physical sport and when she learns chess for the first time, that's when they discover that Phiona has the potential to be a chess master. Her rise despite poverty and limited resources is one inspirational tale that deserves to be seen around the world. A lot of young girls can easily relate to Phiona Mutesi and in the age of the Kardashian girls, this Ugandan is a breathe of fresh air.
In the able hands of the film's director Mira Nair and just like in her previous films Monsoon Wedding, Vanity Fair, Mississippi Masala among others, Queen of Katwe succeeds because the background is in harmony with the actors. Inspite of hardships, there is happiness in the slums and that works in an underdog triumphs against all odds film just like this.
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