BFI Recommends: I Am Not a Witch

While I Am Not a Witch may not be the most uplifting film you’ll ever watch, it’s an arresting and haunting feature. Honest in its realism and poetic in its melancholy, it never feels dull or bleak. The film is also replete with humorous and irreverent moments that seem to augment the depth of human frailty the characters share. The final result left me feeling angry, revolted and sad all at once, yet able to take solace in the lyricism of Rungano Nyoni’s debut feature.

Shula (Maggie Mulubwa), a seemingly lost and mute young girl who appears without explanation in a small village in Zambia, is quickly taken in by exploiters who realise her potential as an extra worker in their coven of hard-labour ‘witches’. As she bonds with the older witches she slowly learns that, as a witch, her destiny is out of her hands. Most of the characters Shula meets do seem to genuinely care for her, and despite the hopeless situation they seem to have a calm attitude and optimistic belief that, somehow, everything will turn out well in the end. However, the destiny of the witch ultimately packs a punch – the effect of which will linger.

Stefan Caussero
Rights and Contracts Officer

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