search

War Witch

War Witch

Rebelle (War Witch) has a lot in common with 2010's Incendies. Like Denis Villeneuve's masterpiece, Rebelle is Canada's official selection for the Foreign Language Academy Award, but not about Canada at all. It's set in a war-torn environment that is never identified by name (in Incendies it's probably Lebanon, in Rebelle it's probably Burma.) It portrays the ugliest aspects of humanity with sublime beauty and grace. It is unflinching in its harrowing portrayal of internecine warfare, it leaves your nerves shattered and your heart racing at the raw power of what's happening on screen. If Incendies and Rebelle are the start of a new trend in Canadian cinema that steps outside of our boring borders, then don't expect any rebellion from me.

Komona (Rachel Mwanza) is only 14 years old when she is forced by rebel soldiers to kill her own parents. The guerillas abduct her from her native village, enlist her in their brutal campaign, march her through dense jungles, and beat her when she is too tired to go on. When Komona emerges as the sole survivor of a fierce firefight, the rebel leader Great Tiger pronounces her a "War Witch." Her new position as spiritual advisor means that she is expected to work miracles on a regular basis, or feel the wrath of Great Tiger. Komona's only chance of salvation appears to be Magicien (Serge Kanyinda), a headstrong albino boy who falls in love with her and proves that he is willing to do anything for her love in return. Komona and Magicien flee the rebels and roam the lawless wastelands, seeking a new life. There is a flicker of hope, but the shadow of tragedy looms over all.

There is poetry in all of this. Komona provides sparse narration, recounting the story to her unborn child as a kind of cautionary tale. The framing device helps to filter adult themes through the innocent perspective of youth in a manner reminiscent of Days of Heaven. The cinematography by DOP Nicolas Bolduc is vivid and hallucinatory, and an atmosphere of magic realism pervades each frame. Komona actually does seem to have spiritual powers. She sees ghosts in the jungle, creepy chalk-white corpses who haunt her waking life. The ghosts of her parents sometimes appear, urging her to return to her native village and bury them. The symbolic significance of albinism is lost on me, but it makes for some striking visuals. At one point, Komona and Magicien visit a small community of albinos in a search of an elusive white rooster needed to seal their marriage. It is one of the few moments of lightness and levity in the story. Combine these stylistic devices with the astonishing performance by an unknown actress as the scrappy heroine, and Rebelle is like a dark companion piece to Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Writer/director Kim Nguyen worked passionately on this project for 10 years, and it's a monumental achievement. He shot the film in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the verisimilitude it provided, even though it would have been exponentially simpler and less dangerous to film elsewhere. Financing was surely hard to come by, especially in the CanCon straightjacket of our domestic film industry. To top it off, human atrocity is difficult subject matter. I will never acclimatize to the image of a child with an assault rifle. Stories like this are scary for investors, who generally don't respond positively to "trust me, it will be nominated for an Oscar." Nguyen is to be commended, then, for bravely overcoming whatever obstacles he faced in making this film and triumphing with a work of consummate excellence. This film suggests a way for Canadian films to be relevant in the world arena. When our homegrown stories lack the necessary drama, we can treat our cinema like a UN peacekeeping mission.

Rebelle is one of the best films of the year, and one of the best Canadian films ever made.

— Zack Mosley, Quiet Earth

War Witch

Wed April 10, 2013, 7:00 & 9:00, Muenzinger Auditorium

Canada, 2012, in French w/ Eng subtitles, Color, 90 mins, 2.35:1, DP, Not Rated • official site

recommend

Tickets

10 films for $60 with punch card
$9 general admission. $7 w/UCB student ID, $7 for senior citizens
$1 discount to anyone with a bike helmet
Free on your birthday! CU Cinema Studies students get in free.

Parking

Pay lot 360 (now only $1/hour!), across from the buffalo statue and next to the Duane Physics tower, is closest to Muenzinger. Free parking can be found after 5pm at the meters along Colorado Ave east of Folsom stadium and along University Ave west of Macky.

RTD Bus

Park elsewhere and catch the HOP to campus

International Film Series

(Originally called The University Film Commission)
Established 1941 by James Sandoe.

First Person Cinema

(Originally called The Experimental Cinema Group)
Established 1955 by Carla Selby, Gladney Oakley, Bruce Conner and Stan Brakhage.

C.U. Film Program

(AKA The Rocky Mountain Film Center)
First offered degrees in filmmaking and critical studies in 1989 under the guidance of Virgil Grillo.

Celebrating Stan

Created by Suranjan Ganguly in 2003.

C.U. Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts

Established 2017 by Chair Ernesto Acevedo-Muñoz.

Thank you, sponsors!
Boulder International Film Festival
Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts

Looking for a gift for a friend?
Buy a Frequent Patron Punch Card for $60 at any IFS show. With the punch card you can see ten films (a value of $90).

We Want Your Feedback

Cox & Kjølseth
: Filmmaker Alex Cox & Pablo Kjølseth discuss film topics from their own unique perspectives.

Z-briefs
: Pablo and Ana share Zoom-based briefs on what's currently playing at IFS

Search IFS schedules

Index of visiting artists

Mon Apr 1, 2024

Hot Shots! Part Deux

At Muenzinger Auditorium

Sat Apr 20, 2024

Super Mario Bros.

At Muenzinger Auditorium

more on 35mm...