Disney has a very disconcerting history when it comes to racial understanding. Their past movies about such non-white groups heavily relied on stereotyping and a general lazy regard for a non conventional place on film for them; and even then, usually a white person was used as a guide through this world. Queen of Katwe is a hopeful sign that Disney has learned its lesson. Anchoring us instead with a conventional underdog story, this movie dives us headfirst into an underrepresented culture so much, that the first Caucasian doesn’t appear until 2/3 of the way through the film and DOESN’T EVEN SAY A WORD.
Katwe is the poorest part of Kampala, Uganda’s capital. The queen of the title is Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga), daughter of single mother Harriet (Lupita Nyong’o). Phiona stumbles upon a group of chess “pioneers” taught by Robert Katende (David Oyelowo). Robert starts teaching Phiona chess, and it turns out she’s a prodigy, beating the best kids in the country. However, as Phiona’s star grows, Harriet grows more and more terrified of the possibility of chess being a false hope, as life has taught her, causing tension with her daughter and Robert.
As much as critics will say versions of Uganda and other African countries are seen relatively frequently, African movies that cater to mainstream American audiences are very rare. So credit to Disney for opening up their world. Director Mira Nair takes great effort to not condemn these poor areas as obsessively bleak. Nair stresses colors a lot, making the citizens pop. Also, there’s an air of excitement with the consistent bartering and business transactions taking place ubiquitously. These ideas give Katwe its personality as opposed to just desolation; there’s life here. Nair portrays the people stuck in this place not as destitute malcontents, but as a microcosm of any other society. People without power struggle day to day and are constantly wary of anything outside their own worldview. There are scheisters, inequal power controllers, religiously affiliated, and philanthropists (the only difference is scale, if you have no resources, you cannot go to school). The parallels of Katwe with similar communities (Flint maybe?) create a resonance and connection maybe previously unforseen (the movie’s best moment is when the kids see a school for the first time).
As far as the story goes, Queen of Katwe is a mix of good and bad. Much of the movie could be guessed from the beginning, particularly the sports story. Chess has been portrayed before, and Nair does a good job just giving us highlights instead of an intense match so she can flesh out some of Phiona’s other pioneers, like young hilarious Benjamin (Ethan Nazario Lubega). The most interesting places the story goes are after everyone figures out Phiona is great at chess. The movie posits that she might not be good enough to be the best, and her mother has to risk her child being exposed to a better life and not achieving it, plus these new experiences make Phiona less likely to help her mother with the day to day struggles since chess provides the escape. These are not easy questions, and this take on the story gives lots of meat for Oyelowo and Nyong’o a chance to interact more with each other and showcase how terrific their acting can be.
Lupita has been taking roles on the edges since her Oscar victory, but Queen of Katwe gives us a reminder of what we were missing. Nyong’o plays Harriet as a fierce strong woman who’s only fault is her small mindset compared to her daughter. There is not one moment where Nyong’o doesn’t command the screen when she is on it. David Oyelowo is also very good here, getting a chance to be more playful since he spends most of the movie talking to children. His scenes with the kids are great, but he also steps to the place when working off of Lupita or his movie wife Esther Tebandeke. Newcomer Madina Nalwanga imbues Phiona with a quiet strength and an emotional nakedness that makes us easily root for her. Other than pioneer Ethan Lubega, Nikita Waliga nails her big scene playing chess against a much taller opponent and Martin Kabanza is terrific as Phiona’s brother.
Queen of Katwe reinvents the wheel in a new place. It is a good reminder of how similar we can be as humans, with common fears, hopes, dreams, and desires. I am also hopeful Disney starts expanding its reach, showcasing other cultures in a way that Queen of Katwe benefits from immensely, although it might be hard to get Lupita for that movie…