Queen of Katwe is a coming-of-age Disney drama about Phiona, a Ugandan girl from Katwe, who is made aware of a world of opportunity after displaying a remarkable talent for the game of chess. It’s based on an ESPN magazine article and book by Tim Crothers, which has been adapted for film by William Wheeler. It’s a colourful movie, accentuating Uganda’s rich spectrum of colour even further through architecture, fashion and decoration. While a relatively impoverished nation, the people are exuberant and forcibly entrepreneurial, giving the culture a wonderful vitality. Perhaps these parallels with India are what inspired the choice for Mira Nair to direct.

At first it’s disappointing to think that an inherently African film was awarded to an “outsider”. There are many up-and-coming talents from the continent, like Philippe Lacôte (Run), who could do wonders with this kind of film. However, you can understand why Disney would want a more bankable and seasoned director to helm the project and to Nair’s credit, the parallels with India make her a great choice. If Danny Boyle can be charged with directing the Academy Award-winning Slumdog Millionaire, then why shouldn’t Mira Nair get a chance to wow audiences with Queen of Katwe.

Both Slumdog Millionaire and Queen of Katwe have their similarities. Instead of Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?, we’re dealing with the age-old game of chess and instead of embracing the charms, poverty and kaleidoscope of India, we’re dealing with a similar scenario in Uganda. Queen of Katwe isn’t specifically striving for ‘authentic’ or ‘gritty’ like Four Corners did for Cape Town, but does enmesh these factors into the storytelling, by lacing social issues into Phonia’s struggle. The visual tapestry makes it seem like an adaptation of a Coke advert, imbuing a similar upbeat spirit and trying to dilute the “African” dream and Coca-Cola imperialism into a rags-to-riches underdog tale.

“Who cares what Kasparov said, you’re a Katwe fighter!”

In this climate of financial insecurity and renewed focus on gender equality, Queen of Katwe serves as a timely and empowering drama. The true story that inspired this dramatisation, gives this film more clout despite its tendency towards Disney formula. This underlying kernel of truth is further cultivated by sincere and stirring performances from David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong’o. Both actors bring their international class to the production and make a wonderful support for young Madina Nalwanga, whose open-faced acting is convincing, honest and refreshingly present.

Queen of Katwe is delightfully funny and touching with the chess club kids charming their way into our hearts with fish-out-of-water comedy and their flippant yet endearing attitudes. This helps create a light-heartedness to the film and instead of bemoaning poverty and pointing the finger, it demonstrates the power of encouragement in building self-esteem and confidence. It may not have a fully-fledged education to fall back on, but Phiona’s natural abilities and drive are inspiring and the activation of these by her tireless mentor is heartwarming.

There are many cliches to this resilient underdog tale, but Queen of Katwe shines in spite of its Disneyfication. We live through the quality of the performances, the vibrant other-worldliness of the backdrop, the sincerity of the humour, the nuances of the direction, the naive spirit of the journey and the feel-good beauty of this wonderful true story. It may be familiar, but it bursts with goodness and will have you finger-flicking like Phiona in no time.

The bottom line: Spirited

Release date: 14 October, 2016
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