My wife and I watched this at home on DVD from our public library.My introduction to chess was in 1972 as the world watched the matches between Fischer and Spassky. I quickly learned how to play chess, but almost anyone can learn how to be a decent player. However it is the rare person whose mind can work 6, 8, 10 or more moves ahead to play chess at a very high level.This movie is about Phiona Mutesi (new actress Madina Nalwanga) and spans the years 2007 through 2011. She was only 10, living in a very poor section of a village. She was not attending school, she was helping her family by selling corn in the streets. One day she happened upon a group of children being instructed by David Oyelowo as Robert Katende. Young Phiona took an interest and, after learning the basic moves and strategy, quickly began to show more promise than the others.The story is about what transpired during those 4 years, how young Phiona struggled to fit into a new idea of life, how an education and successful chess competition could lead to a happier, more prosperous life. Award-winner Lupita Nyong'o is good as the single mother who has a hard time processing this new set of opportunities for her daughter. Good movie, an example of how life can surprise. Phiona is still competing and winning, still working towards Grandmaster status.

This was an amazing movie. Well acted, and beautiful cinematography. I found myself falling in love with the Ugandan people and cheering for the Queen as she struggled to climb out of the slums of Uganda and to overcome her perception that she was somehow unworthy of being part of the world outside. It's easy to put yourself into her place, to feel the struggle at each step of progress and feel the pain of her setbacks. Then it peaks at the heart-stopping moment when the coach pushes her to the top with "you belong here!" It's a message that will stay with me.This movie is for anyone who dreams of a better life. No matter who you are, you can achieve your goals if you try hard enough and you don't give up. Fantastic message.

There are so many movies released each year that a number are left behind when it comes to box office glory. This is not to say the movies are bad movies, just that they are overlooked for various reasons. Some are missed because they don't have the star power of other films. Some are missed because of the sheer mass of hits released that same week. Some are missed because of more blockbuster titles coming out at the same time. QUEEN OF KATWE falls into that last category, not only at the theater but on disc as well. With both JACK REACHER and INFERNO coming out at the same time many may miss this movie. That's a shame.Based on a true story the movie tells the tale of Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga), a young girl growing up in the slums of Katwe in Uganda. Phiona's life is hard. Her father died when she was young and her mother Nakku Harriet (Lupita Nyong'o) is struggling to keep the family together and to provide for them. Living in a shack and subsisting on selling maize she gets on credit, Harriet and her family spend most of their time just trying to live.10 year old Phiona's life completely changes when she meets Robert Katende (David Oyelowo), an instructor in charge of a missionary project that reaches out to children and teaches them chess. Fascinated by the game Phiona and her brother begin to show each day to the mission, both to get something to eat and to play the game.When Harriet learns of what the two have been doing she is angered. People have been telling her that this is a gambling den with people betting on games. It takes some convincing by Katende to convince her otherwise and to tell her just how good her children are at the game. She allows them to return and Phiona begins to flourish. Katende begins to recognize the skill and ease with which Phiona plays. He sees that she has the ability to be a grandmaster, someone who can see moves in advance before the pieces on the board are even moved.Eventually Katende brings several of the best students to compete in a regional contest. There they encounter prejudice, and not a white/black style we are used to seeing but a class prejudice between the well-dressed students from various schools to these street urchins with nothing. Their smug attitude is erased when Phiona wins the championship.The film follows the ups and downs of the lives of Phiona and her family from there. Will she be able to move forward, to be provided the opportunity to progress and become the champion that Katende sees in her? Will her mother be able to provide for the family and keep them together? And will the youngsters of one of the poorest slums in the world find hope in the moves of chess pieces in the hands of young Phiona? The movie revolves around several stories all going on at once. The center piece is of course that of Phiona and her natural ability to play chess. Her story also revolves around her growing up as the years pass and of her dedication and wish for more for her family. That brings out the second story going on here, that of her mother. A strong willed women determined to hold her family together at all costs. She's lost her husband and one child already. Is she willing to do anything to retain her family now? And lastly there is the story of Katende, a man who wants to teach these children and to help them rise above the poverty and squalor that they have no choice but to live in.The movie is an uplifting tale that will cause the viewer consider life as we know it. If you own a DVD player and are watching the movie in a home with a roof, heat or air conditioning you are so far advanced from the people in this story you are watching. If you don't count your blessings while watching then there is something far too cold within you. It helps you to appreciate what you have and to wish the same for others.The story raises you as you witness a young woman determined to move up in life by moving game pieces on a board. Chess is more than a simple game. It involves strategy, attention and skill. The side by side stories of Phiona and Harriet show them both using what skills they have and learn to move and advance their pieces forward, in Phiona's case those on the board and in Harriet's the lives of her family. Both are skilled at what they do and have the potential to achieve their goals, moving one piece at a time. In the end you will find yourself cheering both Phiona and Harriet on in their struggles. And you will wish that more could find a way to achieve their goals as well.

I was hesitant to see the movie, although I marked it for my 2016 must watch list some time ago. There were things that discouraged me to prioritize this movie before all the other I have seen from 2016 so far - like its Disney poster, its genre of "from the bottom to the top" (always a danger to fall into clichés), and lack of exposure and reviews.I am glad I finally watched it today, as it successfully managed to avoid clichés and 2D story-line so often seen in this genre and clichés of over-romanticizing of poverty and Africa in general. I think that the main reason this movie didn't succeed much in USA or Europe on commercial merit is that people didn't really get through those clichés yet. That, and perhaps the African accent that to some western ears may sound "too stupid and slow", so people often correlate that with intelligence of people who speak it.For me, it was refreshing to see finally a good movie set out in Africa and even more so, I applaud the director's decision to shoot it in actual Katwe. It added up on the scale of authenticity and I bet it helped to facilitate actors performance as well- which is also on very high level. I especially liked Lupita Nyong'o's portrayal of the mother of Phiona - the main hero of the story. But surprisingly all child actors are really good too, even though most of them (I heard) never stood before camera (or maybe exactly because of that).As I mentioned the story is classical "from the bottom to the top" genre, but what sets this movie apart from its stereotype genre is willingness to explore characters depth, and not only that of the protagonist (Phiona), but movie managed also to depict other characters with depth and I'd say there are three protagonists in this movie: Phiona (chess prodigy), her mother, and her coach Robert Katende. Story explores their limitations and strength, with nuance, character and intelligence. There are some beautiful scenes where characters above realize their own limitations and as they try to find the way to support each other's strength despite their embarrassment. So mainly this emotional intelligence and nuance set the movie apart from clichés of its genre.Also there are many subtle references to class prejudices in Uganda (which, I think, people from every country can relate to). So bonus point for that too. We saw not just poor slums of Uganda - the dirt, poverty and tacit acceptance of it, we also saw middle class Uganda and upper rich class of Western-like style of Uganda. It was all too familiar to watch the power relations withing Uganda, although with different colour and context.All in all, a story that deserved to be told. I thought it's impossible to make a movie about chess, but this movie kind of made me thinking about learning it! And all in all, a movie that deserves to be watched and acknowledged.I definitely liked it a lot and even managed to shed a tear here and there! I also liked the final credits where you could see the actors standing besides the real people they portrayed in the movie.