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The craft of child abuse, enslavement and controlling the innocent; this film has moments when the sheer absurdity makes you want to laugh and cry and scream concurrently.

I am Not a Witch is a hilarious and harrowing tale from one of the finest new voices.

I am Not a Witch is the debut film from Zambian-born director Rungano Nyoni. It tells the story of a young girl, Shula, accused of witchcraft after a trivial mishap. The phenomenon in Zambia relates not to a cackling Shakespearean witch, but a relatively innocuous kind. These witches change the weather, read minds, and would fly away if untethered. Purportedly. It is a ludicrous social construction used by selfish men to oppress women. Although the subject matter is alarming, the narrative mostly filters through the comedy of its absurdity. The humour is at times reminiscent of Sacha Baron Cohen's movies or Monty Python. It's probably the grandiose confidence of foolish characters. There is a moment where the whole judicial system is reduced to Shula's guess.

But a deeper meaning flutters behind the comedy, like the platform behind a racing train. Seen only in the flashes of space between the carriages. This movie certainly has a dark side. And the unexpected appearance of the cold reality almost grated against the lighthearted side. The dark truth appears every now and then like a needle scratched off a record. This is by no means a bad thing. It makes the glimpses of truth all the more impactful after you inevitably lose yourself in the comedy again. The reality behind the movie is no more forgiving once the credits roll, because it ends on one final needle scratch, and leaves you to digest the movie, and its relation to our modern world. There are obvious parallels between the African political system, or lack thereof, and the Trump Administration and post-truth media.

The deep truth underlying this movie needs to be heard.

The cinematography of I am Not a Witch is also excellent. The shots are very minimalist, giving a sense of realism and intimacy with the narrative, and there are dashes of creative flair, with lingering shots during the realist scenes.

Review from Student Pages: https://www.studentpages.biz/i-am-not-witch-review/

I'm disappointed there aren't more reviews on this superb little film, considering it's the work of a first time director who shows impressive talent and promise. The good: excellent camera work which uses the parched landscape of rural Zambia to great effect, reinforcing the interior lives of the characters and moving the story forwards. The little girl is superb in the role, one of the greatest performances I've seen from a child actor in a long time, she conveys everything without speaking, simply from her expression or body language. Incredible. Plenty to read into the film, the three friends I went with had plenty to say about it afterwards and we all agreed the themes it explored apply to every human culture, not just an African one. the same behaviours and ways people delude themselves or accept ridiculous beliefs because they want to belong, the way human societies find someone to scapegoat and project on to that person all of the groups ills, all this is depressingly familiar. My only criticism is this is again a film of Afro pessimism, there's precious few films from the continent making it on to cinema screens, the only ones I can think of recently are Felicite, Johnny Mad Dog. Both somewhat gloomy subject matter. it would be nice to see some films that offered a different perspective. Having lived and worked in Africa I know there's a lot more to the continent than child witches, child soldiers, FGM, HIV epidemics, diseases, starvation corrupt leaders and so on... People get on in much the way they do anywhere, making the best of what little they have...

A little girl somewhere in Africa is accused by villagers of being a witch, and unable to defend herself, is sent to live in a colony of witches. They're essentially slaves, who at the whim of government officials, do manual labor in the fields, use their powers to single out thieves from line-ups, and summon the rain. It's a dystopian world with imagery that reminded me of The Handmaid's Tale, and indeed, both share the same noxious cocktail of superstition, cruelty, and the patriarchy.

While an exaggeration, the film is believable, which is part of why it's so disturbing. The other lies in the points director Rungaro Nyoni makes, none sharper than the tourists pulling up and seeing a group of people in captivity, being told they're dangerous witches held only in check by the long ribbons they're attached to, and, instead of expressing outrage, taking pictures with their phones.

The film is well made, with solid cinematography and a soundtrack that blends Vivaldi, Estelle, and traditional music (a dirge of which was wonderful). However, I found myself curious to know the backstory for the little girl or the other women kept in captivity, and wish this had been fleshed out more as drama. Not only is the title line never uttered, but the only time someone questions what's going on is a TV host who asks briefly, and after we see a dumbfounded reaction from the functionary, the film cuts away. There's undoubtedly a point there, one of complicity and how hard it is to question an entrenched system everyone is going along with, but it makes for pretty sad viewing.

This is one of those films where you will end up confused. Why, you ask. Well, for one you will not be certain of what is going on, or rather why things are going on. And secondly, you will not be certain whether you are supposed to feel uncomfortable throughout the film, or it is just a possible result of your own interpretation. It bodes that age-old question: what did the author want to say? Or in this case, the director.

I am not sure. Truly, not. Of course, there are traces of feminism here, socio-cultural critique, reclaiming Africanism rather than the post-colonial structures in place in Africa. That is all great. The story, however, is too rigid yet too vague. It doesn't make sense, does it? That's my point.

Acting is excellent, especially the young Maggie Mulubwa, who says more with her eyes than many actors can in any monologue or dialogue. Cinematography is beautiful, especially in relation to the ribbons that are allocated to the witches. Otherwise, the film's story is quite disturbing and disjointed. I felt uncomfortable throughout but was not quite sure if that was the feeling intended or just a mixture of discomfort and confusion as to what is going on.

Definitely worth a watch, but it is not something that would be easily understood or easily appreciated for its vagueness. Considering it is Rungano Nyoni's debut feature, I am sure she will easily build further on the fundaments she has established through I Am Not a Witch.

I sat down to watch it, and wasn't expecting much from the movie. Little did I know that I was in for some big laughs. The story is beautifully written, and the acting was superb, considering many of the cast were debuting. The cast, specifically the young Maggie Mulubwa and Henry B.J. Phiri played their roles exceptionally well. I highly recommend this movie. If you have a witty sense of humor, you'll love this movie. Kuddos to Rungano Nyoni.

I Am Not a Witch (2017) is a Zambia/UK/France/Germany production. The film was written and directed by Rungano Nyoni, who was born in Zambia and moved to Wales as a child.

The movie stars Maggie Mulubwa as Shula, a young girl who arrives in a rural Zambian village and is arbitrarily accused and convicted of witchcraft.

It's hard for us to believe, but in Zambia there actually are witch camps, which are convict gangs for women accused of being witches. (I checked local news sources, and apparently this is true.)

The witches are usually older women, but a child is accepted as a witch. Each witch has to wear a long canvas "ribbon," which prevents her from traveling further away from the camp than the length of the canvas. (They're attached to the ribbons by a device worn on the back.) Little Shula is told that if she cuts the ribbon, she will be turned into a goat.

The corrupt government official, Mr. Banda (portrayed by Henry B.J. Phiri) is like corrupt government officials everywhere. He's fawning to his superiors, and ruthless to those under his control.

It's hard to say I enjoyed the movie, but my eyes were glued to the screen for the entire time. The situation was so outrageous that I couldn't believe that this is Zambian reality.

The movie is well directed and well photographed. It wish it were fantasy, but it's not. We saw the film at its Rochester premiere at the wonderful Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman Museum. It will work almost as well on a small screen.

Find it an watch it, painful as that may be. It's a window into another world.

P.S. I want to make note of the work of Nellie Munamonga as Police Officer Josephine. Josephine appears smarter than anyone else in the film. She surely doesn't believe in witchcraft. However, she has a job to do and she does it. You might think she would take pity on this small, frightened child, but she doesn't. She asks for orders, and she carries them out. After all, orders are orders.

At the time of this review, this film attained the elusive 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so naturally expectations were exceedingly high. Did Nyoni's feature debut fulfil my thirst for perfection? Not quite. An incident occurs in a remote Zambian village which leaves the villagers to believe that a young girl is a witch, consequently resulting in her being sent to a witches' camp. Contemporary, captivating and surprisingly comical, it's an indie flick that certainly meshes several dichotomies within a tonally inconsistent narrative. Illustrating the modernisation of Zambia but retaining the superstitious and traditional views of an ancient world. The segregation of (typically) older women into camps positioned outside of society is certainly a bleak perspective into the apparent sexism that arises within various cultures. Male characters certainly have more power and authority over females who are seemingly attached to strands of ribbon as if resembling prisoners. It's an intriguing and illusory picture that convincingly enables Nyoni to showcase both her artistry and viewpoint. Enigmatic long takes, a commanding central performance from Mulubwa and gorgeous cinematography by Gallego, there's various aspects to adore in what is a technically flawless film. The utilisation of Vivaldi's composed classical music juxtaposes the chaotic traditions that are being upheld within this community, plus...I love me some Vivaldi. It's unfortunate that I found this film slightly tedious to watch, and that's mainly down to the narrative. The clashing of dark deadpan humour and surreal dramatic perspectives did not blend well for me. It was a disorientating experience fuelled by ambiguity and vivid imagery that just wasn't fully comprehensible. It does occasionally lean towards style over substance. Although, this is still impressive work from Nyoni considering it's her feature debut. A promising career is ahead of her, yet it just wasn't able to cast a spell on me completely.

I'm in awe of its most basic hilarity of man's most primitive stupidity and yet at the same time paralyzed with unspeakable sadness of how this monstrosity of imbecilic rawness at its roots has destroyed an innocence of creation. Brilliant actors on this docu drama of a gem.

There are several very interesting podcasts available online where the director explains how she found the protagonist girl (Benfors 'Wee Do) by accident. She also mentions that in some scenes, she wanted to deal with the film's central theme with humour, instead of forcing the viewer to feel guilty for laughing. It may be due to ignorance or lack of knowledge of the cultural context but personally, I did not feel the delicate line between humour and seriousness, between fairy tale and reality. For this very reason, I found these motifs overtly forced and simply too symbolic. At the same time, it is a movie with a really strong imagery and important message. The potential for catharsis is there all the way through the film but sadly, it just did not happen for me this time.

Just a poem of sadness and truth. Exquisitely acted, shot and edited. Sound also extraordinary. Needs to be seen.

Funny, touching and tragic film about the oppression of women in an archaic patriarchal society. I wanted to really like this film for 2 reasons: It has the cinematographer from 'Embrace of the Serpent' and it was produced by Ffilm Cymru Wales, where I'm from. But the tone dragged it down a little. It was very funny in places, and I felt a little guilty for laughing as the subject content was a little disturbing. That made the film very odd. While odd isn't bad, it just meant it was harder to work out. It's a comedy tragedy in that respect, which is very difficult to do. The film obviously looked amazing though with David Gallego as DoP but just didn't click all the way through.

It was boring reading subtitles and nothing much happened to think being a witch was something you'd want to deny. If it raises questions about these cultures and some of the despicable things that happen to Albino and others accused of witchcraft in other areas, fine. But overall you'll only be interested if you're keen on African interest films.

'I Am Not A Witch (2017)' is a dark comedy about a young Zambian girl who is accused of being a witch and the corrupt government official who takes advantage of her after she's sent to a witch-only penal colony. Based on real stories of women who have been accused of witchcraft, the film exaggerates certain elements in order to make them both more absurd and more upsetting. Director Rungano Nyoni spent some time in a real-life witch camp where the occupants are outcasts from their villages and have to work for the witch camp's chief, tethered to their new home by magic potions and invisible shrines. She decided to make this imprisonment more literal by including the concept of each woman being tied to a spool of ribbon that gives them so many meters of freedom but ultimately keeps them wherever their captors want them. She also noticed that the area surrounding the witch camp was peppered with goats who freely roam and eat and aren't numbered for identification (even though they are owned by certain farmers), which gave her the idea to make the supposed consequence for cutting the ribbon a transmutation into a goat. The idea that goats are more free than women is disturbing, for sure, but the decision to implement this element into the feature's ambiguous ending does run the risk of legitimising the overall practice of isolating so-called witches. Furthermore, the purposeful exaggeration of several key elements makes it slightly unclear (at least to an international audience, or one unfamiliar with Zambian culture) what is real and what is invented, blurring the line between the purposefully ridiculous and the realistically cruel. To be fair, though, every element works as part of a wider allegory regarding women's rights, and the fact that you're never quite sure when you're supposed to be laughing keeps you on your toes and makes you extra critical of every on-screen aspect. Plus, this is profoundly sad even when deliberately funny. It's ultimately a tragedy and some of its heavier parts hit you like a truck. It's a bit of a tonal oddity overall, often amusing but more often upsetting, but it somehow manages to just work. It's on its own wavelength, at once strange and familiar, and it doesn't pull any punches, catching you off guard precisely because it isn't quite like anything you've seen before. It's a really solid effort, especially considering the fact that its cast is mostly comprised of non-actors and that it's a feature directorial debut.

I was profoundly moved by I Am Not a Witch. Many members of the cast are in their first film feature, and all are stellar, especially Maggie Mulubwa, who plays Shula. Her face is so expressive. Director and writer, Rungano Nyoni, transported me to a place I'd never been. It's rural Zambia. It's modern day (I won't ever forget that the first time we see little Shula, she has a t-shirt that says #bootycall). Yet, it's a cultural phenomenon that I don't know much about, witch camps.

Despite the dire subject matter, there are comic moments. Many times that I wanted to laugh, though, I also wanted to cry, because the circumstances were ridiculous to me, and Shula is caught up in a world where she apparently has no control, no say in her own life. She's asked to resolve disputes, judge others, alter weather patterns, even be on display, when all she really wants is to be a 9 year old, go to school, be nurtured. In the end, we see parallels to other, more familiar, stories. It's haunting.

Cinematography by David Gallego and Art Direction by Malin Lindholm are perfection. The images will stay with you.

This film blew my mind. I don't understand people who thought it was a comedy. To me, this was such a tragic film showing the treatment of girls and women in Africa and the abuses of power. The whole concept of witches was so bizarre but clearly just a way for people to take advantage of these women. They were basically taken prisoners and made slaves of the state!

The fact that tourists were taken to see the witches and pay to see them was just mind-boggling, plus the fact that they were used to decide who was guilty of crimes... I was in shock for most of the film. The little girl was clearly traumatized from the start and became more and more traumatized as she was used for other people's purposes rather than going to school where she belonged.

All the actresses were amazing. I liked how some of the adults tried to take care of the little girl to the best of their ability.

I felt the need to post a review about this film. It was a moving and tragic film. It was far from comic and I found no part of this movie to be funny to any degree. I lived in Sub-Saharan Africa for several years. This film is nothing but tragic. There's no mention if it's a true story but I'd be willing to bet that it is. I very much look forward to seeing more movies from this talented producer.

If I were to sum up "I Am Not A Witch" in just 3 words - I'd say that those 3 words would probably be - "Bleak" "Despairing" (and, yes) "Boring" (Extremely - Boring).

I found that this amateurish production had almost no entertainment value, whatsoever.

One of the most annoying aspects of this film was how obvious it was that when the camera was aimed at the actors you could tell they were all very aware of it being there.

All-in-all - I'm completely convinced that they were making up all of this story's voodoo/witchcraft nonsense as they went along. Yep. It was really that bad.

«I Am Not a Witch» is the third film I have recently watched about the vicissitudes of a little girl, after the American movie «Beasts of the Southern Wild» (2012) and the Philippine production «Birdshot» (2016). All three are satisfactory products, with marked cultural and anthropological components; as well as fascinating and revealing contributions to the female children's universe in film, which has been dominated by the image of Shirley Temple and her variants for many years. The marginal African-American Hushpuppy, the Filipino peasant Maya and, now, the Zambian little witch Shula are victims without knowing it and each film is a journey that, for their short years, reveals their position in the world.

The three works are those to which we frequently turn our backs; and they are as fascinating or more ravishing than the highest flight of L. A. superheroes. Here what flies as high as can be is the originality and creativity of the filmmakers. Throughout their stories, girls confront situations in their environments dominated by violence, injustice and deprivation. Like Maya, Shula does not go to school and, of the three little girls, she is the only one who has nobody, family or friends: she has arrived alone in a town and the easiest way to get rid of her is to accuse her of being a witch. Shula is sent to a witch camp, but a government official sees her salability potential as a "poor little girl" and decides to capitalize on her "sorceress" image and use it in trials, rites against drought, and marketing eggs on television!

Deprived of all her rights, Shula is stigmatized in a way of which there is little knowledge, especially of the meaning of sorcery and witchcraft in African cultures. Although the camps of women accused of witches, who carry out work in the fields, have been denounced, the media do not disclose that, in this century, African children have become one of the main targets of accusations of witchcraft, with the consequent attacks, beatings and even death.

The film maintains a fair balance between drama and magical realism (no terror, if you expected that), through a development that recounts linearly, but with shocks, surprises, without that forced 'flow', so typical of movies that disguise the process of creation and try to hide that fact that we are watching a construction, not reality. The film has beautiful cinematography by David Gallego (the same cinematographer of «Violencia», «Embrace of the Serpent» and «Summer Birds») and original art direction by Nathan Parker: you have to see how witches are held by cords that come out of reels mounted on the truck that takes them to work in a farm... it does look like a parade float in a Rio de Janeiro carnival. The entire cast is effective and, above all, it was directed by an bright woman from Zambia and raised in Wales, named Rungano Nyoni, who was given her name by her parents because in a Zimbabwean language, "Rungano" means 'storyteller'. The prophecy was fulfilled.

It appears that the Los Angeles Film Academy is not interested in "ethnic little girls" (unless they are of Irish, Hebrew,Scandinavian, or little monsters of the Disney factory ...) Proposed as the official film to represent the UK in the Oscar feast, «I Am Not a Witch» was ignored, as happened before to the Philippine «Birdshot» and «Beasts of the Southern Wild». But don't let that drive you away. «I Am Not a Witch» is funny, it is fresh, it is contemporary, it is tragic, and it has 16 international awards in its summary.

Such an intelligent, thought provoking film. This is one talented individual. She has written and directed a film that carries great insight and reminds us how casually cruel society can be, caught up in its own limited beliefs.

I can see why it won awards. This film hit me straight to the soul with Shula's story. I could not get enough of wanting to know all these people, especially the witches. Although the film leaves you wanting more, It does a beautiful job in fulfilling you with its shots and emotional cuts.

It's really a good movie. Aesthetically designed scenes and dark-comedic, rational storytelling penetrates to the viewer's soul! The true story contains its own symbols reffering ideo-political facts of the world and woman director Rungano Nyoni who shooted her first full-length movie, very succesfully treated those materails. Please, watch the movie and think on "orange truck" and "white cordons".