I Am Not a Witch Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

I Am Not a Witch Blu-ray Movie Review

A compelling feature with a great assortment of extras

From producers Juliette Grandmont (Shanghai Belleville, The Misfortunes of Francois Jane) and Emily Morgan (Make Up, Talent Show), the independent-spirit I Am Not a Witch is a strangely bewitching experience worth taking. It's a compelling tale which marks the feature-length directorial debut of writer-director Rungano Nyoni. Filled with surprising turns and standout child performances, the surrealist filmmaking makes a strong impression.

Inspired by stories centered around witch villages in Zambia, the film revolves around the world of a young girl, Shula (Maggie Mulubwa) as she goes from being considered a normal, ordinary girl to becoming labeled as a witch by her community's elders. Tossed into strange world of circumstances, Shula must come to terms with her new identity as a so-called witch (which even leads her to being a resident at a so-called witch village).

As the zany (and surreal) storyline unfolds, Shula even goes through a truly bizarre “witch trial” in which a chicken must run around and determine if she is or isn't an actual witch. If the chicken dies inside the drawn circle, she's not a witch. The chicken dying outside of the circle means she is a witch. Magic 101? Throughout Shula's strange experiences the story continues to unravel into unexpected territories involving the community's belief in witches. Spooky.

Poetry in Cinema

There are a number of elements of the production which make a strong impression: the music score by Matthew James Kelly (As You Were, Pop Aye) gives the film a haunting melancholy while the stark cinematography by David Gallego (Embrace of the Serpent, Birds of Passage) fits the witch plotline like a glove. The costume designs by Holly Rebecca (The Incident, Limbo) are effective and display great authenticity throughout.

Written and directed by Rungano Nyoni (who has graduated from short-feature productions like Listen and Mwansa the Great), this unique effort is an impressive display of the filmmakers enormous talents behind the camera. There is a sense of great passion and thought behind every frame of the film. Scenes unfold with a delicate intimacy and it's clear that this is a work of art from someone who is completely devoted to the language of cinema and all it has to offer audiences.

While the screenplay itself is not as consistently impressive as the hypnotic direction (with the visuals feeling more impressive than the character-depth or world-building), there is still so much to appreciate about the filmmaking and its goals. This is an assured film which provides a glimpse at the natural talents of Nyoni and it gives promise to even more impressive efforts still to come.

Exploring a world little seen in film, I Am Not a Witch is a prime example of why independent and art-house cinema remains of such vital importance to the landscape of the arts. There is real poetry in the filmmaking and a spirit that is infused with such vitality that it pulls viewers into the world with ease. While there were some aspects of the film which were uneven (especially in the script department), it succeeds to be a beautiful film regardless due to the exceptional aesthetic and the remarkable leading performance from the young child actor, Maggie Mulubwa. An experience that should not go so easily overlooked.

I Am Not a Witch Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from distributor Artificial Eye, I Am Not a Witch features a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original 2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio. The presentation featured on this release is generally impressive and is satisfying throughout. The somewhat subdued cinematography faithfully reproduces the often bleak and surrealist visuals on display. The dark color palette perfectly suits the storytelling and looks altogether splendid on the release.

I noticed no encoding issues on the transfer and there are no print issues either (with the film having a digital source free from any blemishes). The image can look somewhat noisy during certain scenes (especially during the low-light, dark sequences) with the digital photography showing some minor imperfections, including softness from how it was produced. While the image is not quite as sharp as sometimes desired, there is still a great amount of detail present in the image. There are many wide-angle shots which do show impressive depth (such as when characters are spotlighted as they walk through the outdoor fields). An imperfect but impressive presentation.

I Am Not a Witch Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two separate audio options: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound and Uncompressed PCM 2.0 stereo. The film is presented in English, Bemba, and Nyanja as multiple languages are spoken throughout the film. The lossless surround sound option is rather impressive. Although the track is somewhat sparse when it comes to sound-effects, the track does have some excellent scenes which highlight the outdoor weather environment and which make the track feel entirely more rewarding and enveloping. The music is capably reproduced and sounds superb: giving listeners a robust soundstage which expands to all of the speakers to give these sequences greater buoyancy and depth. An audio-descriptive track is also provided on the release. English subtitles are included and can be toggled on/off. English SDH subtitles (for the deaf and hard of hearing) are provided.

I Am Not a Witch Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes a surprisingly comprehensive collection of supplemental features which make the release even more worthwhile and enticing. The disc includes two short films which are from the same director of I Am Not a Witch, Rungano Nyoni.

The included shorts:

Listen (HD, 13:26) is a a short-feature which was spotlighted as part of the Directors' Fortnight at the 2014 Cannes film festival. The film focuses on an Arab woman (Zeinab Rahal) who is seeking help from authorities as she wants to escape from her abusive husband. Wearing a hijab dress around her entire body, she is interviewed about the domestic violence she had endured from her spouse and the concerns she has had for her young son (Yusuf Kamal El-Ali) while sitting with an interpreter (Amira Helene Larsen) by her side.

The film is intelligent, well-made, and undeniably compelling. (As an aside, my mother once directed a short theatrical production about the stoning of Arab women and the intense violence against women in the middle east). There are many women who are brutally stoned to their death (including from their spouses) and this short seems to touch on similarly important issues. The short offers a humanist exploration of such horrors and is a must-see inclusion on the release.

Mwansa The Great (HD, 24:11) is a compelling short which was directed in a similar vein to the main feature-attraction: the film slowly unfolds through the prism of two young children, the bright Shula the Princess (Mwansa Bwalya) and the headstrong Mwansa the Great (Owas Ray Mwape). Playing in the outback landscape which surrounds their every sight from left to right, the kids run rampant with the gleeful abandon of two highly-spirited youths. As the engaging filmmaking unfolds, the characters experience surprise, wonder, and excitement (and the independent-spirit of the filmmaking is on full display).

Interviews with Cast & Crew (HD, 1:19:32) is a surprisingly comprehensive collection of interviews featuring a wide range of actors and production-members involved in the creation of I Am Not a Witch. The compilation features interviews with Dyna Mutanti (who played the leader in the group), Margaret Z. Mwale (Mwape), Martha Chig'Ambo (Witch), Ritah Mubanga (Bangled Woman), Nathan Parker & Thomas Nyoni (who served as the production designer and construction manager), Natalia Sikombe (Floor Runner), Gabriel Gauchet & Tobias Tembo (who served as the associate producer and locations supervisor), Henry B.J. Phiri (Mr. Banda, the Government Official), Holly Rebecca (costume designer), Joseph Musowe (production assistant), and Juliette Grandmont (producer).

These are insightful and informative interviews with the cast and crew. Each interview provides an interesting glimpse into each actor or crew member's views on the production, their respective roles during development, and informative tidbits about some of their own experiences during the making of the film. There are interesting insights into the development of Rungano Nyoni as a director with her festival successes with short films before being able to delve into the feature-length production. For anyone who enjoyed viewing I Am Not a Witch and would like some insight into the creation of the film, this impressive batch of interviews provides an abundance of content.

I Am Not a Witch Trailer (HD, 1:44)

I Am Not a Witch Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is something beautiful about the hypnotic filmmaking on display with I Am Not a Witch. While it is not a total success on every level, there is much to appreciate about its visual wonder and the introspective style of filmmaking. The script could have been stronger but the exceptional directing makes it an interesting experience well-worth seeking out. The Blu-ray release features a strong audio-video presentation and an impressive assortment of in-depth extras (which range from a feature-length compilation of interviews with cast & crew to early short films directed by Rungano Nyoni). Please note that this is a region locked release and viewers need to have a region-free or Region B equipped player. This is a well-rounded release which comes recommended.