Twenty-five years after the premiere of her highly acclaimed romantic drama Mississippi Masala, which revolved around the lives of a family of Ugandan Indian migrants, Indian American filmmaker Mira Nair made her cinematic return to Uganda, though in reality she had never truly left.
Nair has lived in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, for many years and established a film school, the Maisha Film Lab, for aspiring young African filmmakers, many of whom worked on Queen of Katwe, an inspirational sports tale based on the true story of Phiona Mutesi, a teenaged chess prodigy who rises through the competitive ranks of international chess to open doors to a better future from the slums of Katwe.
Mississippi Masala was a subversive entry into the romantic drama genre, critical and insightful regarding the racial tensions and hypocrisies of a family over the interracial relationship of their daughter, as well as their expulsion from Uganda. Queen of Katwe is a more simple, earnest film in its execution and intentions, very much in the vein of a classic crowd-pleasing Disney feature. And sometimes that’s enough.
The film shows great range from Nair, excelling in the theoretically much simpler mode of storytelling, hitting all the notes beautifully. In a way, Queen of Katwe recalls a film like October Sky, where the underdog story beats are expected, yet there is a joy in it all the same.
Much credit has to go to Nair’s characteristic excellence with her actors. There are the newcomers, like the lead Phiona Mutesi, who carries Phiona’s inspirational arc with charming ease — and then there are seasoned veterans like David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong’o. Despite being bigger names, neither feels distracting as, respectively, the missionary-turned-chess coach Robert, guiding Phiona’s path to becoming a champion, and Phiona’s hardworking mother, Nakku, who shoulders the family’s many burdens. Additionally, similar to her methods in Salaam Bombay!, Nair’s choice to shoot many scenes in Katwe’s local communities with children in the community as extras adds an extra layer of realism that makes it all even more immersive.
As Robert serves as co-protagonist in the film, providing his own scenes of perspective, some coming from his childhood, we understand how he carved his own path to where he is now; Oyelowo brings the perfect amount of grace and knowing warmth to this part. Nyong’o gives one of her most underrated turns, bringing a real authenticity to her performance. She imbues rays of love and passion underneath Nakku’s world-weary manner, making the struggles but also the love of the family, resonate all the more powerfully.
Though working within the framework of a family film, Nair knows exactly how to make the worldly struggles of its characters resonate by emphasising the hardships they go through, and in turn emphasizing the heart-warming nature of Phiona’s successes as she excels in her passions. Nair directs the chess sequences with the right amount of style and tension, making them distinctive and dynamic set pieces with her careful choice of shots and editing choices.
The film’s optimistic energy persists even when things don’t turn out right, whether back at home in Katwe with the adversities the family overcome or for Phiona when encountering antagonistic personalities during her chess campaign. The inspirational quality of the film makes Nair the ideal director for Queen of Katwe. She creates a film palatable for family audiences without excluding the disappointing moments along the way. Instead, Nair visualizes a road to success with many obstacles that are overcome by sheer resilience and dedication.
This review is part of our Director Retrospective series on Mira Nair. Check out our past series here, where we discuss the works of Wong Kar-wai, Hayao Miyazaki, and others!
