War Witch (DVD REVIEW)
War Witch
DVD Review
by Kam Williams
Oscar Foreign Film-Nominee from the Congo Arrives
on DVD
Komona’s (Rachel Mwanza) life was irreversibly altered at the tender age of 12 when rebel forces led by the Great Tiger (Mizinga Mwinga) rampaged through
her tiny African village. The unfortunate girl was forced at gunpoint to kill
her own parents (Starlette Mathata and Alex Herabo) before being abducted and
brainwashed into joining the cause.
Deep
in the jungle, she was befriended by other kids orphaned by the conflict before
being trained to use a weapon against government soldiers. However, more
valuable than marksmanship, Komona developed an uncanny knack for sensing enemy
positions, a skill which proved handy during encounters with deadly snipers and
machine gun nests.
This
supernatural ability came to the attention of her superiors and, by the time
she turned 13, the so-called “War Witch” was appointed a personal advisor of General
Tiger. In that capacity, Komona also had to work closely with Magician (Serge
Kanyinda), an albino boy with extra sensory perception.
It’s
been said that there are no atheists in foxholes. Apparently there aren’t any celibates
in foxholes either. For, it’s not long before the two seers fall madly in love.
Magician proposes, they go AWOL, and Komona ends up pregnant by her 14th
birthday.
Thus
unfolds War Witch, a haunting drama chronicling an adolescent’s coming-of-age
under the most trying of circumstances. Written and directed by Canadian Kim
Nguyen who shot on location in the Congo, the moving character study was
nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Film category.
The
picture is cleverly constructed as a series of vivid flashbacks narrated by
Komona directly addressing the unborn baby growing in her belly. While the
plucky protagonist easily earns our admiration for maintaining her sanity in
the midst of the madness, there is still something slightly unsettling about a
production so matter-of-fact about the endless atrocities providing the backdrop
for such a touching front story.
21st
Century Africa presented as a godforsaken
wasteland conjuring up primitive images reminiscent of the ghoulish dystopia
chronicled by Conrad in Heart of Darkness.
Very Good
(3 stars)
Unrated
In French and Lingala with subtitles
Running time: 90 minutes
Distributor: Cinedigm
/ New Video Group
DVD Extras: Behind-the-scenes
featurette and an Academy award promo.
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