I decided to watch this movie as it was directed by Mira Nair and I am happy that I did. It is based on a real story captured in a book by the same name. While I haven't read the book, the way the movie was made, it doesn't seem the makers tried to go overboard to make to over-dramatic. The story itself is very impactful. The movie takes us to a small fishing village in Uganda and gets us acquainted with Phiona, who along with her younger brother, sells maize in the market to support her single mother, who is trying to raise her 4 kids against all odds. One day she stumbles upon a club where Robert is training kids in the game of chess. He is a part time worker, whose life was changed by chess and he wants to give these kids the same chance. His vision is also supported by his wife, who is a primary school teacher. Phiona has a natural knack for the game and the rest of the story is how she grows proficient in the game, overcoming her obstacles. While it has all the general elements associated with any other movie of showing a child fighting to overcome all the odds and come out as a winner in the end, but the way it is shown makes all the difference. The game chosen here was chess, which is a game of tactics and strategy and it takes a different kind of preparation to be better at it. Thankfully, the movie wasn't about long motivational speeches, but was rather about believing in a better future and working towards it. The biggest obstacle that was shown in off hand remarks was the need to believe that the kids belong to the big league. When they are playing a game, they often think that they can't win because they are from a marginalized background, but once they are able to believe in themselves that they can, then they do it. While most of the actors did reasonably well, I think the most impactful role was that of Phiona's mother. She was shown as a strong mother, who is righteous and keeps fighting her circumstances everyday for her children.
Review of Queen of Katwe
