First two acts are one of
my favorite dark comedies
of the year -- third act is one
of the most moving tragedies
of '17, and the final few scenes
are spectacularly surreal; the
social satire that 2017 needed.

An extremely confident debut from Rungano Nyoni full of wonder, humour, reflection and tragedy. The film looks wonderful too and cinematographer, David Gallego (Embrace of the Serpent), really makes the most of the sparse Zambian landscape. It cleverly plays with traditional gender politics (and not entirely focused on women) to open discussion about respectability and marriage, lineage and how those accused of witchcraft are so easily discarded and branded for life, based on little more than a hunch. All done without resorting to cliched African poverty porn. This is a director to keep on eye on if this is anything to go by. Highly recommend.

Powerful imagery, with purposeful camera work, helps define the visual narrative of the film. The film is bleak, but the cinematography cuts deep into the gloomy subject matter, bringing out its abstract beauty. It really is a good film on a technical level and the performances are good, but bringing in my personal feelings, it wasn’t an easy watch. It’s hard to know what’s happening for a lot of it.   

I’m really happy I watched it, but I don’t think I’ll ever revisit it.

I have no idea what to say about I Am Not a Witch. I barely could figure out how to rate it, and where to rank it. 

I understand it’s a satire movie, but I was literally confused the whole time. You would be paying attention the entire time, something would happen and you have no idea how and or why.

I’m giving it a 3.5 but on a technical level, it totally deserves a 4.5 because of the acting, stunning cinematography, writing.... basically everything. Take advantage of seeing this if you can. Worth the one time watch.

Lists:
2018: Ranked

You are now becoming civil witches.

I Am Not a Witch's impeccable composition and brilliantly sparse soundtrack help the film maintain its delicate balance between tragedy and comedy, though it certainly opts for the former toward the end.

Definitely worth a watch.

This was an incredibly powerful film. At times it was so absurd and ironic that you just had to laugh. But when the ending came around it was so heartbreaking that my friend and I were tearing up in disbelief.

This movie is a beautiful reflection on a female's experience in Africa, as well as a critique of masculinity and western feminism/tourism.

I have so much I could say about this but other people have said it better and more eloquently than I, so I will leave it at that.

Is it better to be a witch or a goat ? 

A young girl is accused of being a witch and is sent to a witch camp and for the first two acts this is, for the most part, played comically but once we get to the third act we start to see how unfunny this whole situation is and the ending is all the more impactful for that tone shift. This one put a spell on me.

По синопсису интересно, по исполнению какая-то дипломная работа студента местного ВГИКа.

There's a lot I enjoyed about I Am Not a Witch (most notably the compositions, humor, and music), but I felt very little while watching it. Shula, the main character, could've used more/some/any agency, both to make it easier to root for her (more escape attempts? more active defiance? more aligning self with allies?), and to avoid the political message becoming too blunt (see: the television interview, and then the scene immediately afterwards in which a British tourist snaps her photograph while she's being punished). This made what people have been describing as a dramatically impactful ending fall fairly flat for me. Some of that may also have to do with the plot being a little challenging to follow. Perhaps if I watched this again, I could see how the pieces fit together, from one scene to the next. But the first time around was more challenging than it should've been.

Quite a surreal film. Beautifully shot but with a fairly loose narrative. Grounded in reality but with fantastical elements; never seen anything quite like it. Closest companion piece might be Beasts of the Southern Wild. Raw but worth seeing.

Witch Slavery genre about to boom?

A film which I wanted to love but only liked. A movie about witch hunts, prejudice, and exploitation, armed with at least one knockout visual metaphor, but missing some additional crucial ingredient.

One of the best handling of dark humour I've seen in a long time. That one scene with the tourist was enough to make this a four and half star films for me, and the fact this is the director's debut? Amazing.

The composition of every scene is flawless, From the witches' ribbons fluttering in dry winds to a the falling of rain long overdue. Nyoni is unafraid to let shots linger, to not reveal the exact tone of the moment. Much like real life things are always kept on the edge of absurd, edge of sincere, edge of heartbreaking. The fact this says so much without overtly pointing to issues of class, race, gender is a testament to the direction and the acting. Shula remains distant without ever losing our sympathy.

The final act will hit you with a sucker punch of emotion.

Visually arresting with its deft magic and mystery. Striking as the first time I saw a Yorgos Lanthimos style. Distinct tone filled with humor, horror, and banality. I’m so fascinated by this and can’t wait to see what Rungano Nyoni does next. She is one to WATCH.