Review XLI - Rebelle

Review XLI
Rebelle (2012)

I was enjoying my stream of movie watching, but I was having trouble keeping up with reviews for films, so I neglected writing a few. I'm back, though, and here to present Kim Nguyen's Rebelle, or as it is known in English, War Witch. The film stars Rachel Mwanza, a Congolese actress in her first role, and Serge Kanyinda principally, with Alain Lino Mic Eli Bastien and Mizinga Mwinga.

The film begins with Komona (Rachel Mwanza) explaining that, at twelve years old, she was taken by rebel fighters from her village. We get a scene that shows a tranquil life for Komona, until the rebels come and kidnap several children to join their army. However, before she leaves the village, she is told to kill her parents with a gun, which she does in order to spare them being killed by the commander of the rebel group (Alain Lino Mix Eli Bastien) with a machete. She gains the ability to see and speak to the spirits of the dead, who warn her of danger. This allows her to escape death from government soldiers, which leads to her to gain the nickname "witch". Her celebrated status is not only recognised by the rebel group, but especially so by a fellow albino child soldier who is called the magician - or "magicien" in French (Serge Kanyinda).

The first thing I want to compliment the film on is the way they interpreted the spirits. They're the person simply covered in a white paint with bluish white eyes. I thought it was such a creative idea, and it made them really stand out, versus them being animatedly done. This totally gets a paragraph on its own because I was very impressed.

Alright, so the film itself. I really enjoyed the story because it doesn't just focus on a war stricken country and how horrible everything is. Instead, while it does set up the premise of Komona being a twelve-year-old girl thrown into a war she barely knows, it is about Komona, and not just a war. It demonstrates that these kid soldiers are able to escape to a certain degree and are thus capable of living a more regular and normal life after the war. It focuses on a young love between two of these soldiers, and I thought it was really sweet. While I realise it is important that we recognise that many African countries face civil wars concerning corrupt governments and the masses being unhappy with the state of the country itself which leads rebel groups being formed (which is basically what is happening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the film takes place, right now), it seems like so many films dwell on African residents as being unable to cope with life. This film shows that even a fourteen year old girl in the midst of a horrible situation is able to move on. I guess I sound naive in saying that I think this is possible, but I really think it is. People face horrible things, but there can always be a silver lining on the darkest of clouds. Rebelle demonstrates this, and I applaud it for it. Nonetheless, this film shows a pretty accurate description of the cruelties of war. It is still a film concerning a young girl thrust into a rebel army. The Congo wars have shown really horrible acts between human beings, and the current situation in the Congo is still bad, even with the ceasefire agreement between the rebel groups and the government. The wars are relevant to Rebelle, but I'll let you guys read about the wars yourself (here is a link to the Wiki article about the civil wars in the Congo).

I really enjoyed the film, making me both cry with happiness and sadness. While I did enjoy the young love plot, at the same time, I'm not sure if they incorporated it super well. We get an image of them in the war, then suddenly they run off together. Perhaps I missed something, but it still seemed a bit strange. I'd give the film eight stars on ten. It definitely is worth a watch.

Pirate Bay torrent (English subtitles provided in comment)