Popular reviews

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  Review by Eli Hayes ★★★★ 2

  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.

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  Review by emma katharine ★★★★ 1

  "i should have chosen to be a goat. at least goats can move about freely and eat what they like."

  :(

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  Review by Steven Sheehan ★★★★

  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.

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  Review by fran hoepfner ★★★½

  nothing is safe from capitalism, not even "having weird vibes"

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  Review by ˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗ ★★★★

  if you need me i'll be in my room writing an essay on the representation of women through witchcraft in cinema and comparing this beautiful yet heartbreaking little work of art to the glorious Suspiria (2018) and The Witch (2015) 🤓

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  Review by reibureibu ★★★★

  I Am Not a Witch has an atypical portrayal of witches: here they're still hunted down, but instead of being put to the death they're merely put to work in labor camps.

  The nameless child in here is accused of being a witch, but because she does not confirm nor deny that accusation no one's sure what to do with her. A government leader decides to have her join the other witches in his camp, and the child is given a name by those women.

  "This girl... I've named her Shula."

  "It's a nice name."

  "It's a very nice name."

  "Listen, it means to be uprooted.
  This girl has been uprooted."

  "It's a very nice name."

  The rest of the…

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  Review by grace b-p ★★★½ 3

  The use of Estelle's "American Boy" in this film is one of the most iconic film moments of 2017

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  Review by Graham

  Hang on a minute. Is this a comedy, dramady or just plain bonkers?
  There is so much going on that I found it difficult to decide, but the more I watch and read, the more it feels like genuinely well crafted satire. What I know for sure is that this is absolutely brilliant entertainment.

  Watching a group of old ladies with painted faces, tied to the ground with ribbons and being introduced to a busload of Euro-tourists as witches that have been constrained to prevent them from flying to the UK (cos, you know, that's what your average Zambian witch gets up to on a Tuesday morning) was hysterically funny and yet, really thought provoking.

  The soundtrack to the film…

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  Review by olwethu ★★★★

  a beautiful and dark story depicting the dangerous ways in which the link between patriarchy & tradition in communities can effect those communitites and how those most effected are usually the marginalised or outcasted.

  gorgeous cinematography; great writing; a flawless and arresting performance from Maggie Mulubwa as young Shula. I loved the final scenes which were so tragic and poignant.
  I'm so happy this was written and directed by a young black woman and i cannot wait to see more from Rungano Nyoni.

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  Review by Aaron Hendrix ★★★★

  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.

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  Review by ❀ Chadwin ❀ ★★★½

  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.

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  Review by Slig001 ★★★★

  I Am Not a Witch is the debut feature from director Rungano Nyoni and focuses on a remote community in Zambia. Our story starts when a young girl is accused of witchcraft and sent to a labour camp, where the Zambian government exploits the accused women by subjecting them to hard labour. The film starts off comedic - there's almost an air of Monty Python about it - as the narrative shifts into gear and we are introduced to the absurdity of the situation. The young girl is deemed a witch because she is accused and doesn't deny it - this is confirmed by a "test" carried out by a self proclaimed witch doctor (why doesn't he have to do…