Film C L U B QUEEN OF KATWE Queen of Katwe is a surprising movie, in more ways than one. That it’s a true, family-friendly story, produced by Disney, of a young girl trying to conquer the odds while becoming very, very good at a game is not particularly shocking. We’ve seen that kind of movie before. But Queen of Katwe bucks convention in other ways. Phiona Mutesi (played by Ugandan newcomer Madina Nalwanga), our protagonist, is growing up in a poor family in a slum called Katwe, just outside Kampala; her widowed mother Harriet (Lupita Ny’ongo) works hard to keep Phiona and her siblings fed, and Phiona sells maize to help. Again: not an uncommon setup for a movie like this, an underdog story. Soon, though, the movie takes some turns. One of the heroes of this movie is Robert Katende (David Katende), the Christian missionary who grew up in Katwe and has returned to work with a sports-focused outreach organization. Hollywood usually favors “magical teacher” stories, tales of foreigners (either from another city or halfway around the planet) who go to the “poor” place to teach the children and, in turn, learn something themselves. But that’s not what happens in Queen of Katwe. Similarly, the movie doesn’t portray Phiona as angelic, or as a genius just waiting to be sprung. She’s an ordinary tween, in many ways, and as the movie takes place over several years, we see her struggle with wanting to continue with her chess-playing, even though she’s obviously talented enough to be a champion. She’s not distracted, as a character like her might have been in a sports film, by friends or wanting to be popular or a boyfriend; she’s distracted by big existential issues, things that affect children all over the world but rarely make it onto the movie screen. There are other ways in which the film is fresh, and I don’t want to spoil it for you. But what I love about Queen of Katwe is that it shows how to make an engaging drama, full of tension and excitement, that doesn’t gloss over the real difficulties Phiona and her family face, nor does it shy away from making its characters act like humans. Nobody’s a metaphor or a stock character here; everyone’s allowed to just be real. It’s an uplifting story, but not one with a too-easy ending. QUESTIONS What were your expectations for Queen of Katwe going in? How did the movie meet those expectations -- and how did it surprise you? Part of the joy of Queen of Katwe is the way it weaves together the sights, sounds, and even (if you strain a little) smells of Phiona and Robert’s home of Katwe. How do you think the images of the film shape what you expect from the story? How did your feelings toward Phiona change over the course of the movie? Robert’s ministry may not seem like obvious missionary work, and he’s not the kind of missionary we’re used to seeing in movies. What did you think about his character? Sports movies and “magical teacher” movies have a few common tropes -- things you’ve probably seen in many inspirational movies in the past. How did this movie resemble those films, and how did it make changes? What effect does that have on you, as a viewer? What are you taking away from watching Queen of Katwe? FOR FURTHER READING “Her Game of Life,” Tim Crothers, ESPN “The Inside Story Behind Disney’s ‘Radical’ Queen of Katwe,” Angela Watercutter, Wired “Queen of Katwe” review, Alissa Wilkinson, Vox.