In the slum village of Katwe in Uganda, pre-teen Phiona (Malwanga) lives with her tenacious mother Harriet (Nyong'o), older sister Night (Kyaze), younger brothers Brian and Ivan (Kabanza and Ssemaganda) and baby Richard. Unable to afford school, she helps her mother sell maize in the local market. Then one day she and her brothers discover the chess club run by social worker Robert (Oyelowo), who notices that Phiona is a prodigy. But can she juggle her family responsibilities, and her need to learn to read, while preparing for a championship match?

Director Nair keeps the tone optimistic. There are dark shadows in this story, from the grim living conditions to a steady stream of class bigotry and sexism. And of course, when Phiona tastes fame as a local champ, she has to deal with her own ego as well. One of the more striking moments is when the ragtag chess team attends its first championship in the city and discovers that they're poor. But Nair keeps all of this gurgling in the background while focussing on happy people living brightly active lives.

Nalwanga makes Phiona easy to root for. Focussed and intelligent, Phiona is a terrific character, and Nalwanga brings her to life beautifully from about 11 to 16 (the age and timeline aren't too precise). Her chemistry with both Oyelowo and Nyong'o has a strong pull to it. There are some stormy moments, but for the most part the actors bring a gentle, warm camaraderie that reflects the unfairness of the world around them.

While general smiliness sometimes feels artificial, the narrative has the ring of truth. Difficult choices abound, as Phiona has to plot a course for her future, Harriet must decide what to do with wild-child Night, Robert grapples with whether to return to civil engineering to support his wife (Tebandeke) and daughter, and so on. All of these questions are resolved in uplifting ways. But it's Phiona's own journey, and her willingness to follow her path in unexpected directions, that's genuinely inspiring.

themes, violence

15.Sep.16