I Am Not A Witch is seemingly more about human zoos than witchcraft. A young girl is accused of Witchcraft in rural Africa, but government officials see a chance to make a star out of her. Tourists are invited to gawk at the only girl witch for miles, but this young girl is practically a slave. She’s bound to the ground by a single ribbon, which is used to play upon the girl’s childish fears. They tell her she’ll turn into a goat if she lives. Naturally, being socio-economically forced into dimwit status…she agrees to their rules.
The segmented nature of the film feels like it’s coming from the kid’s POV. You see adults talking around our lead, but rarely to her. She struggles to understand what she’s been accused of and why she’s being forced into the witch camp. Many will see an effort to read into the material, but it never gels as a political piece. More than anything, it just feels like a look at a little African girl that is too smart for the world around here.
Some call it a Feminist tale, but I see that as trying to boilerplate the material down. If anything, it’s a film about a child learning that adults are just grown babies that rarely gain knowledge. It’s terrific and well worth a watch.
I Am Not A Witch is now available!
