I Am Not a Witch is partly an absurdist comedy, partly a tragedy, and wholly a haunting examination of a young girl’s trial by fire. Rungano Nyoni’s debut feature expertly balances its varying tones, creating a visually stunning and emotionally resonant portrait of prejudice.
The movie is set in an arid region in Zambia, which is also the country of origin of the Welsh director. In these rain-starved parts, where poverty is rampant and hope is in short supply, it’s easy enough to excommunicate girls or women as witches.
The government wants to show that it has the problem under control. At witch camps, women accused of sorcery are herded together in what is an open-air prison for all practical purposes. The women earn their keep by pantomiming behaviours associated with occult practices for gawking tourists and carrying out unpaid work.
Shula’s entry upends the situation. Declared a witch on specious grounds, the girl soon becomes the camp’s golden goose.
The 93-minute film is available on MUBI. Unlike most Indian movies on the subject, I Am Not a Witch imaginatively uses surrealistic flourishes to portray the shackling of women who do not fit into social norms.
Large spools of ribbons are attached to the women’s backs – a literal and metaphorical depiction of their shackling. The elliptical editing adds to the overall sense of disquiet created by uncomfortable comedy and a consciously jarring Western score.
The cast includes the government official Banda, who is in charge of running the camp. The kind of pompous, officious man who can always be found in post-colonial countries, Banda coddles Shula as well as manipulates her.
“You are my little witch,” Banda coos. When a man threatens to attack Shula because of her supposed powers, Banda yells, keep off, this is government property.
The insensitivity shown by characters like Banda is contrasted with the sisterhood at the camps. In this maternal milieu, Shula is a special child as well as the youngest victim of age-old misogyny.
David Gallego’s vivid cinematography includes stark close-ups of a child who struggles to make sense of her new surroundings. Maggie Mulubwa marvellously plays a girl who is most certainly not a witch but isn’t allowed to be anything else either.
Also start the week with these films:
‘Grave of the Fireflies’ is a heartbreaking tale of sibling love
In ‘Wicked Little Letters’, the joys of not minding your language
The unforgettable revolution of the dogs in ‘White God’
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