

QUEEN OF KATWE SHOWING MOVIE
A movie based on a vibrant true story starring Lupita Nyongo and David Oyelowo. The blatant sports-movie clichés aside, this is a genuinely moving film with winning performances. Queen of Katwe follows a Ugandan girl whose life changes forever when she discovers she has an amazing talent for chess in this celebration of the human spirit. I’m going with three-and-a-half out of five for Queen of Katwe. The film is stronger, and its message clearer because of that. To her credit, Nair never shies away from showing the hardships of poverty, homelessness, and a lack of food and education. And there are several metaphors about how the strategies of chess apply to life itself. There is humor in the interactions between Katende’s ragtag group of chess prodigies who travel around Africa and to Russia. In the hands of less competent actors, the inspiring coach and the stubborn mother might have been reduced to stock caricatures, but Oyelowo and Nyong’o never let that happen.

Then there’s David Oyelowo, who infuses warmth and kindness and empathy into the role of Robert Katende, a soccer player turned missionary who sets up a chess club, notices Phiona’s talent, and grooms her for international tournaments. Afraid initially that Phiona may be setting herself up for heartbreak in chasing a dream that’s out of her reach, Harriet is suspicious and dismissive, and Nyong’o conveys a mother’s protective instinct most naturally.

As her widowed mother Harriet, unwilling to let go of her pride while all along struggling to provide for her children, Lupita Nyong’o is nothing short of a revelation, capable of expressing multiple complex emotions with a single glance.
