Queen of Katwe
So the thing is about this movie: The Queen’s Gambit seems like it was kind of based on this story, except way whiter. The problem with that is that this is based on a true story and closely follows the rise of chess champion Phiona Mutesi, who came from a slum in Katwe, Uganda. So you see the problem. The Queen’s Gambit is about a white woman and a bunch of other white people playing chess, but the real life story is far more full of colour and authenticity. Also, Phiona is actually a likeable character, unlike Beth, who you’re supposed to kind of hate. The Queen’s Gambit was based on a novel written in 1983, so it wasn’t exactly stealing details from this real life story (which takes place from 2007 through to 2012), but the problem lies in how much attention and praise The Queen’s Gambit has garnered in the last five months, as opposed to this movie, which was released in 2016, which nobody seems to have heard of.
With that as a premise, I want to convince everyone reading this to go watch Queen of Katwe as soon as you possibly can. The world seems rather obsessed with chess right now anyway, so it’s on topic, and it’s a lovely, happy, true story.
The women we see in this film are all very different. We have Harriet, the mother, Phiona, the chess champion-to-be, and Night, her older sister. We also have Mrs Katende, a teacher who teaches Phiona and her siblings how to read. There are other women in this film, but most of them are periphery characters. So let’s talk about the women we do see.
Immediately, we are introduced to Phiona and her family, particularly her mother Harriet. This is a family with next to nothing, living in a shack in a slum in Katwe, a small village in Uganda. Phiona and her mother are both stubborn, strong women who won’t take shit from anyone. Harriet has a go at a man who is trying to drag her oldest daughter away on his boda boda (motorbike), telling him he will never see her daughter again. We see this fighting spirit reflected in Phiona a few minutes later when she is being told she smells and no one wants her around. Instead of running away, she fights the boy who makes fun of her, and Robert Katende, her future chess coach, sees something admirable in her actions.
The fighting spirit continues throughout this movie, for both of these characters, but even for Night and Mrs Katende. Night, despite her rebellious behaviour and her up and down relationship with her boyfriend, continues to make do, helping her family out with money when she can and ultimately returning to live with her mother and look after her children. Mrs Katende shows a strength in her willingness to put up with the difficult situation she and Robert are in with their finances, though Robert feels strongly about his daughter not growing up with a hard life as he did. However, when he is offered a well-paying job and decides to turn it down in favour of the Pioneers (the kids he teaches chess to), she supports him and makes sure he knows that his dream is important.
Throughout the story, we see the ups and downs of the lives of these under-privileged people, and we see them rise above their circumstances to make a new and better life for themselves. It is not easy, and for them much harder than for any of us, but they don’t give up, and we also see how mother and daughter finally learn to support each other and prioritise what’s important in each other’s lives. At one point, Phiona promises her mother that she will become a master chess player and buy her a house, so they won’t have to live in a slum anymore, and it’s a dream we get to see fulfilled at the end of the movie. Not only a happy ending for the movie either, because it really happened.
Stories like this are so important, not only because they’re inspiring or beautiful or make us feel good, but because they tell the true stories of the lives of people who do not have the privilege and opportunities we have. All I ask is that, if you’ve watched The Queen’s Gambit or are thinking about watching it, watch this too and learn a little bit about the life of Phiona Matesi.
Queen of Katwe is available to stream everywhere on Disney+ and is available to rent or buy everywhere on YouTube, Google Play or Amazon Prime, and Apple TV in the UK.
