It’s a story about supportive adults like Harriet and Robert nurturing Phiona’s talent. Queen of Katwe doesn’t try to fashion this into a political statement about the need for social programs or about how an individual can pull themselves up by their bootstraps. It’s a powerful message that says no matter where someone comes from, they can go far if given an opportunity. It’s a game that tests mental acuity, and even though Phiona is illiterate (her mother can’t afford to send her or her siblings to school), she’s skilled at chess. Rather than focusing on a sport that requires equipment, it’s not too difficult to fashion a chessboard and pieces, and more than once we see Phiona using a checkered bedsheet and bottlecaps to practice her game. One of many uplifting aspects of Queen of Katwe is how it holds up chess as an egalitarian game. As Phiona begins to excel at chess and win at tournaments, she sees the game as a way to lift her family out of poverty. Although shy at first, Phiona quickly finds herself adept at chess and soaring to the front of the class. She sells corn on the streets so the family can scrape by, but one day comes across a chess program taught by Robert Katende ( David Oyelowo). The story begins in 2007 when Phiona ( Madina Nalwanga) is living in Katwe with her mother Nakku Harriet ( Lupita Nyong’o), brothers Mugabi Brian ( Martin Kabanza) and Richard ( Ivan Jacobo), and sister Night ( Taryn Kyaze).
#QUEEN OF KATWE REVIEW MOVIE#
At times, Queen of Katwe seems like it wants to encompass everything, from economic mobility to family responsibility, and while it makes the movie run a little long, the film never loses its sweetness or charm. However, unlike Bobby Fischer, Nair expands her story from a family drama and puts it onto an international stage by focusing on the impoverished Phiona Mutesi, who came from the slums of Katwe, Uganda to become a chess champion. Although chess is a game rather than a sport, Mira Nair’s Queen of Katwe still stands alongside some of the studio’s best efforts, and it’s the best family film involving chess since the charming 1993 film Searching for Bobby Fischer (admittedly, there wasn’t a lot of competition in this very specific genre). In the past decade, Disney has carved out a nice niche of sports dramas.