“War Witch” Shows
Rebellion in Africa
Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades
The horrors of war. We’re not referring to Middle Eastern conflicts, bad
as they are. This is a reference to “War Witch,” a French Canadian film about
atrocities in Africa.
The War Witch is the name given to an impoverished African girl who was
kidnapped by Tiger’s rebels and forced to become a “child soldier,” a youngster
carrying an assault rifle when she should still be playing with dolls.
It’s not a pleasant story -- death, rape, war -- but it is punctuated by
lyrical moments, such as Komona and Magician’s attempted escape and the search
for a mystical white rooster.
“War Witch” is showing at the Tropic Cinema.
Komona (played by Rachel Mwanza) must return
to her village in order to bury her parents’ remains, else risk a curse on her
future child.
Rachel Mwanza is a 15-year-old
actress from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Abandoned by her parents as
a child, she herself lived on the streets of Kinshasa (formerly
French Léopoldville) until being
tapped to star in “Rebelle.” Director Kim Nguyen had spotted her in a
documentary about street kids. With no education, she did not even know how to
read or write when she began acting in Nguyen’s film.
Her performance earned awards for Best Actress
from the Berlin Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Vancouver Film Critics
Circle, and the Canadian Screen Awards.
“War Witch” was Canada's entry in the Best
Foreign Language Film category at the 85th Academy Awards.
srhoades@aol.com
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