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They are not pity cases they are not to be ogled. The children of the slum have an incredible liveliness that is awakened by learning, just the same as any other child. The chess group provides an opportunity that her children deserve, and so as we watch Phiona develop, win, and lose, we too see the potential for a secure life for her entire family.ĭirector Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, Mississippi Masala) takes what could have been a generic film into a rich and colorful panorama of life in Katwe. Phiona’s mother makes difficult choices in order to survive: she is uneducated and her children cannot read, she refuses to accept gifts, and refuses the advances of men (her husband died when Phiona was young). The children practice their chess moves using bottle caps on a painted board when they aren’t with their group. Rather than complain about the lack of food or shelter in her home, Phiona and her brother would come back without empty stomachs and encourage their mother and baby brother to eat their servings. When a student gets a nurturing mentor who can provide things that a parent cannot, the parent may feel a sense of inadequacy that isn’t voiced by the student. There’s a palpable struggle of powers between the mother and coach that is not only respectable but it is also entirely relatable. Chess coach and football enthusiast Robert (David Oyelowo) becomes a provider of potential stability that the children need, even providing food for the kids to eat. Phiona’s mother (Lupita Nyong’o) tries to support her children as best as she can, but stability doesn’t come easy to anyone in Katwe. This is a form of strength that is simply present in Phiona’s character, not as a direct result of her difficult childhood, as demonstrated in the portrayal of her older sister, who says, “I don’t think god cares about us one way or another.” Children’s cruelty to other children normally would be both a deterrent and a focal point of a drama like this, but instead, Phiona obtains water to bathe in, and returns the next day.
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Phiona arrives to her first chess session and is teased for the way that she smells. Some children play football (soccer), and others learn chess. Her childhood is not one of great wealth nor is it one of great happiness-her mother is raising four children by herself and they cannot afford to go to school-but by chance, she encounters a youth group called the Sports Ministry Outreach. Let’s start with the basics: Our heroine, Phiona Mutesi, grew up in Katwe, which is a region of the city of Kampala, Uganda. You decide that it could be worth it, and I’m here to tell you that yes-it is worth the ticket price and so much more. The question of whether or not it’s actually going to be a good film might push you to spread the word to your friends or family, but the PG rating gives you pause.
Queen of katwe on demand movie#
If you’re like me, you saw the first trailer for the biopic Queen of Katwe and quietly made a pact with yourself that you would see this movie in the theater.