I Am Not a Witch

Name: I Am Not a Witch
Genre: Drama
Released: September 7, 2018
Duration: 93 min
Rating: 79
Cast: Benfors 'Wee Do, Boniventure, Boyd Banda, Brisky, Chileshe Kalimamukwento

2018

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Ratings

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7.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Ratings

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I Am Not Witch (US Trailer)

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Movie Details & Credits

Film Movement | Release Date: September 7, 2018 | Not Rated

Starring: Benfors 'Wee Do, Boniventure, Boyd Banda, Brisky, Chileshe Kalimamukwento, Dyna Mufuni, Felix Chibole, Gloria Huwiler, Henry B.J. Phiri, Janet Chaile, Kalundu Banda, Maggie Mulubwa, Mureene Chaba, Nancy Murilo, Nellie Munamonga, Patricia Carreira, Patricia Chaambwa, Ritah Mubanga, Travers Merrill

Summary: Following a banal incident in her local village, 8-year old girl Shula is accused of witchcraft. After a short trial she is found guilty, taken into state custody and exiled to a witch camp in the middle of a desert. At the camp she takes part in an initiation ceremony where she is shown the rules surrounding her new life as a witch. LikeFollowing a banal incident in her local village, 8-year old girl Shula is accused of witchcraft. After a short trial she is found guilty, taken into state custody and exiled to a witch camp in the middle of a desert. At the camp she takes part in an initiation ceremony where she is shown the rules surrounding her new life as a witch. Like the other residents, Shula is tied to a ribbon which is attached to a coil that perches in a large tree. She is told that should she ever cut the ribbon, she'll be cursed and transformed into a goat.… Expand

Director: Rungano Nyoni

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 93 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Maria Garcia

Sep 6, 2018

Nyoni’s title articulates her uncompromising, feminist stance, and her characterizations of Mr. Banda and the male villagers explain how patriarchy plays out in Zambia, but it is in her sublime direction—lengthy close-ups, clever tableaux and skillful scoring—that the writer-director accomplishes a social critique so cinematic as to defy description. Read full review

Stephen Dalton

Aug 28, 2018

A fable-like story about a young African girl banished from her village for alleged witchcraft, it blends deadpan humor with light surrealism, vivid visuals and left-field musical choices. Read full review

Danielle White

Oct 10, 2018

Shula never confirms or denies being a witch, making the title of the film a strange choice, though that affirmative defense through history has largely fallen on deaf ears and too many women have died to prove it. In short, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Read full review

Time Out London Anna Smith

A startling movie, I Am Not a Witch is many things. It’s a magic realist fable set in present-day Zambia that has plenty to say about gender and superstition. It’s also a satire, a tragedy and a comedy. And, impressively, debut writer-director Rungano Nyoni makes this heady mix work. Read full review

John Bleasdale

Aug 28, 2018

Mulubwa’s performance gives I Am Not a Witch its furious heart, but Nyoni weaves her spells subtly and has produced a film of intensity, satire and grace. Read full review

The Film Stage John Fink

I Am Not a Witch is as fresh as it is provocative despite a few false notes along the way, especially in the film’s third act. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Apr 1, 2020

Movies from Zambia, especially one with a Welsh connection, are an exotic and rare thing. But while there’s novelty and promise to Nyoni’s little-girl-trapped tale, it tumbles into incoherence too early to merit endorsement. Read full review

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User Reviews

CosiMOLOGO

Sep 10, 2018

La película cuenta con elementos reales y ficticios (como las cuerdas que todas las "brujas" tienen amarradas, para evitar que se conviertan en cabras), que sirve para representar la sumisión y resistencia a humillaciones por ignorancia de parte de todas estas personas. Este se demuestra enLa película cuenta con elementos reales y ficticios (como las cuerdas que todas las "brujas" tienen amarradas, para evitar que se conviertan en cabras), que sirve para representar la sumisión y resistencia a humillaciones por ignorancia de parte de todas estas personas. Este se demuestra en diversas escenas. Pero sin duda la mejor lograda es una secuencia de imágenes de un árbol por las diversas estaciones. The whole movie is very loaded with symbolism and metaphors. The director, originally from Zambia (where the story unfolds), captures powerful images that are complemented by a montage with a contemplative style. The film is allowed to use an absurd humor that complements the already absurd idea, by which certain women are called witches.

A must-see movie… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

netflic

Sep 17, 2018

It's a satirical tale of an orphan young girl Shula in a remote village in an African country (Zambia?).
We do not know what happened to her family, and why she ended up being all by herself.
Villagers, being ignorant and superstitious, accuse Shula of being a witch. Authorities, being asIt's a satirical tale of an orphan young girl Shula in a remote village in an African country (Zambia?).
We do not know what happened to her family, and why she ended up being all by herself.

Villagers, being ignorant and superstitious, accuse Shula of being a witch.
Authorities, being as ignorant and uneducated, find her guilty and put her into a witch camp, something like a colony where they are kept as tourist attraction in addition to having to work in the fields for free.

Majority of acting is done by not professional actors.

The movie is extremely unusual and unnerving. It is a rear combination of quite realistic details, very dark humor and absurd situations with dire consequences.

Rich music score and brilliant cinematography make watching this film quite an experience.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DawdlingPoet

Nov 25, 2021

This is a sobering, bleak watch, of course - its a memorable film, not least for the use of ribbon attached to the backs of those accused of witchcraft. Its sad to think that such things may still go on, in certain parts of the world. I would recommend it to anyone interested in it, yes.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

smijatov

Nov 25, 2018

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 aThis 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.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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