War Witch (2012) on Netflix
Rebels raid Komona's village and abduct her at twelve, forcing her to kill her parents. Made a child soldier, she tells her story to the child she carries.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb7.0/107,770 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes94%
Trailer
Plot summary
Komona is twelve when rebels raid her village in sub-Saharan Africa. They force her to kill her parents and take her away with other captured children. On a deserted island the rebels use the children as porters, then teach them to handle automatic weapons and send them into battle. Komona begins drinking tree sap and sees vivid hallucinations; when her visions help her live through a fight, the rebels decide she is a child witch and their warlord treats her as valuable. Speaking later as a fourteen-year-old to the child she is carrying, she recounts her life since the war took her.
Cast
- Alain Lino Mic Eli Bastienas Commandant-rebelle
- Serge Kanyindaas Magicien
- Diane Uwamahoroas Komona - Narrator (voice)
- Jean Kabuyaas School camp coach
- Jupiter Bokondjias Royal Tiger' sorcerer
- Starlette Mathataas Komona's mother
- Alex Heraboas Komona's father
- Dole Malalouas Trafiquant Coltan
- Karim Bamarakias Homme à la Moto
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about War Witch (2012)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Kim Nguyen found Rachel Mwanza, who had never acted before, and other child actors through open auditions in Kinshasa, and Mwanza had been living on the streets before the film was made.
- War Witch was only the second film shot in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 25 years; because of security concerns the crew was accompanied by soldiers with AK-47s and insurance was difficult to obtain.
- Director Kim Nguyen wrote the screenplay over 10 years, inspired by an article about children in Burma leading a rebellion, and met real child soldiers and humanitarian staff while researching.
- War Witch had its debut at the Berlin International Film Festival, where director Kim Nguyen became the first Canadian in 13 years to compete for the Silver Bear.
