Queen of Katwe

Overview

Chess is best played calmly, with an analytical mindset and with an awareness of the many life lessons it can teach — at least as far as every film depiction of the strategic game is concerned. Based on the tale of Ugandan prodigy Phiona Mutesi, Queen of Katwe is certainly guilty of finding parallels between reality and moving pawns around a board, and even of tasking a kindly coach with pointing them out. Thankfully, in the hands of The Reluctant Fundamentalist director Mira Nair, embracing cliches and relying upon metaphors can't stand in the way of a great story.

And what a rousing tale it is, not quite of the rags-to-riches kind, but one filled with fighting spirit and driven to discard the shackles of poverty and gender. When the film first offers a glimpse of teenaged Phiona (Madina Nalwanga), she's poised to win a national championship — making Queen of Katwe's end goal apparent, yet never downplaying her struggle to get there. Jumping back, we next see her as a nine-year-old spending her days selling corn to help her widowed mother Harriet (Lupita Nyong'o) support their family of six. Learning to play chess is the last thing on her mind; in fact, she only heads to the local club run by volunteer Robert Katende (David Oyelowo) to get a free cup of porridge.

Even if you're not familiar with Phiona, or the magazine article turned book The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl's Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster that inspired Nair's film, you should know what you're in for. Phiona takes to her new hobby with gusto, with Robert's encouragement and despite Harriet's disapproval. The local boys aren't happy to be playing a girl — and they're even less impressed when she keeps beating them. And when the club raises the funds needed to play a tournament against wealthier students, they're hardly welcomed with open arms

There's a game afoot in this film about a game: one side patiently tries to position the pieces necessary to paint a portrait of Phiona's impoverished life in a developing country, while the other happily tries to fit her tale into an established pattern. Mair alternates between fleshing out the location-specific details and brightly bouncing through the usual underdog sports movie elements. Yes, it seems that chess really is relevant everywhere, even when it comes to the way that Queen of Katwe handles its narrative.

In terms of performance, everyone from newcomer Nalwanga to Oscar-winner Nyong'o to standout Oyelowo shines, enhancing the film's many uplifting charms. Add an end credits nod to the real-life figures behind the inspiring story, and joyful tears are more than likely. Sure, Queen of Katwe still proves the kind of movie that makes its plays known several moves in advance. But that doesn't diminish the moving end result.