Not for the faint hearted, War Witch (French: Rebelle ) is a 2012 Canadian drama written and directed by Kim Nguyen. It was primarily filmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The film was in competition for the Golden Bear at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2012. At Berlin, Rachel Mwanza won the Silver Bear for Best Actress. She also won the award for Best Actress at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. It was also nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar.
Synopsis: Komona, a 14 year old girl, tells her unborn child the story of how she became a rebel. It all began when she was 12; kidnapped by the rebel army, she was forced to carry an AK47 and kill. Her only escape and friend is Magician, a 15 year old boy who wants to marry her. Despite the horrors and daily grind of war, Komona and Magician fall in love. They thought they had escaped the war, but fate decided otherwise. In order to survive, Komona will need to return to where she came from and make amends with her past.
Reviews: scores a massive 95 per cent on the Tomatometer. Five stars from Margaret, three and a half from David. From Margaret: ‘Shot hand held, it’s raw, violent and deeply distressing – but yet this Oscar nominated Canadian produced movie by writer/director Kim Nguyen is well worth seeing for those of a strong disposition. The naturalistic performances are so good that it’s hard to believe acting is involved – perhaps it wasn’t.’
Our regular reviewer John Campbell is on leave.
