'queen Of Katwe' Tells Story Of Chess, Dreams And Uganda

While Hollywood has long celebrated chess as a great equalizer across race and class - an ideal element for an underdog tale - it rarely turns its lens on modern African culture in such a realistic and respectful way. In telling the true story of chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi, director Mira Nair captures the vibrancy of a small village, the dignity of its people and a state of poverty so oppressive you can feel the desperation in the dusty air. With vivid camerawork by Sean Bobbitt ("12 Years a Slave") and a cast comprised largely of African unknowns, Nair drops the viewer into the swirl of color and humanity that is Katwe, a ramshackle community bordered by a trash dump and a lumber yard near Kampala, Uganda, where the filmmaker has lived for almost 30 years. The screenplay by William Wheeler at times borders on the trite - "Sometimes the place you are used to is not the place you belong" - but the film is anchored by its colorful setting and solid performances by the entire cast.