While Hollywood has long celebrated chess as a great equalizer across race and class - an ideal element for an underdog tale - it rarely turns its lens on modern African culture in such a realistic and respectful way. In telling the true story of chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi, director Mira Nair captures the vibrancy of a small village, the dignity of its people and a state of poverty so oppressive you can feel the desperation in the dusty air. With vivid camerawork by Sean Bobbitt ("12 Years a Slave") and a cast comprised largely of African unknowns, Nair drops the viewer into the swirl of color and humanity that is Katwe, a ramshackle community bordered by a trash dump and a lumber yard near Kampala, Uganda, where the filmmaker has lived for almost 30 years. The screenplay by William Wheeler at times borders on the trite - "Sometimes the place you are used to is not the place you belong" - but the film is anchored by its colorful setting and solid performances by the entire cast.
'queen Of Katwe' Tells Story Of Chess, Dreams And Uganda
By Sandy Cohen, Associated Press, Houston Chronicle: Movies
Thu, 09/22/2016 - 2:12pm
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